orld governs the wide
ocean--the tides and currents move at His command, and He it is who bids
the waters be at rest, or sends the whirlwind sweeping over them. I
feel that it is wrong, even in poetry, to assign to beings of the
imagination the power which alone belongs to Him. Do you understand
me?"

"Yes, though I should not have thought you wrong," answered the young
officer, gazing at her with admiration. "But I do understand you, and I
am sure that you are right. God is a jealous God, and cannot of course
admit of any detraction from His authority by the creatures He has
formed. I see that every form of idolatry, whether the idol be
worshipped or not, must be offensive to Him--whether men assign His
power to others, or attempt to approach Him in prayer through the
mediation of saints or angels, when He has told them to draw near to the
throne of grace according to the one way He has appointed."

It may seem strange that I should have recollected this conversation.
In truth, I did not, and it was not till many years afterwards that I
was told of it. Indeed, I may confess once for all, that had I not
possessed the advantage of communicating with some of the principal
actors, I should have been unable to describe many of the events which
occurred at that period of my existence. I remember, however, the
captain, and his amiable consort, Mrs Podgers, and the snappish cruel
way she spoke to sweet Miss Kitty and Edward Falconer. She appeared,
indeed, to detest him, and took every opportunity of showing her dislike
by all sorts of petty annoyances. He bore them all with wonderful
equanimity, perhaps for Kitty's sake, perhaps because he despised their
author. Sometimes, when he came on deck after dining in the cabin, he
would burst into a fit of laughter, as if enjoying a good joke, and
would continue to smile when Kitty appeared with a look of vexation and
pain on her countenance, supposing he must have been annoyed beyond
endurance.

We had just doubled the Cape, when another sail was seen crossing our
course, now rising up against the clear sky, now sinking so low that
only her upper canvas was visible. We approached each other, when the
stranger made a signal that she would send a boat aboard us. We also
hove-to, and began gracefully bowing away at each other, as if the ships
were exchanging compliments. A seaman with his bag stepped on board
when the boat came alongside, and offered to remain, if the ca