her."

I agreed with my wife, and Jerry said that he thought so likewise from
what he recollected of him; indeed we had not a shadow of doubt on our
minds that our dear Harry was the son of Henry Stafford.

"Oh, how I wish he was at home!" cried Susan; "he cannot fail to gain
his rights; and then he might marry dear Miss Fanny and be so happy.
Ben, I must go and tell her what we have found out about his family, and
that she may be sure all will come right. It will do her all the good
in the world, for she has been very sadly since her father forbid Harry
to come to the house and got him sent off to sea; sometimes I have
thought that the poor dear would break her heart."

I asked Jerry what he thought.

"There might be no harm in letting Miss Fanny know, but it must depend
upon whether she has got discretion or not," said Jerry. "If she is a
wise girl she will hold her tongue, and I daresay it will make her
happier to hear what you wish to tell her."

Susan at length gained her way, and, promising duly to caution Miss
Fanny to be prudent, set off.

Jerry and I sat talking over matters till Susan came back.

"I am thankful I went," she said. "I found Miss Fanny very ill, and I
have hopes that the news I gave her will restore her to health faster
than any doctor's stuff."

I told Jerry how I had hunted for the young lady's luggage, and had been
unable to find it, though she had told me the name of the inn where she
had left it; and I was sure she would not have spoken falsely.

"Is the landlord still alive?" asked Jerry.

"Yes; though well in years," I answered.

"Well, then, we will go along together, and see if we can make anything
out of him," said Jerry; and off we set. We went into the bar-room.
Fortunately no one was there, so we asked the landlord to come in and
have a quiet glass with a couple of old salts. He, nothing loath, came
at once, for he had been a sailor himself. I never saw anybody like
Jerry for leading on to a point he wanted to reach; he soon got talking
about the _Royal George_, then he asked the landlord if he remembered
the name of the young lady who came to his house the day before the
wreck with a little boy.

"No," said the landlord, "I don't remember her name, though I do her and
the little boy."

"Then you heard it?" said Jerry.

"Can't say but what I did," answered the landlord.

"Then can you tell me what the gentleman did with her luggage?" he
asked, looking the la