ends good-bye.
Alice turned pale when he told her that the ship was to sail that
evening. "You will come back here surely, Mr Ripley," she said, in a
trembling voice; "you have been every thing to us since that awful day
when you saved our lives from the sinking ship; we shall miss you,
indeed we shall, very much."

Pearce could not frame a reply, at least, satisfactory to himself. He
scarcely knew what he said, as he hurried away. The words might have
made a vainer man than he was much happier than they did him.

The "Vestal" was bound for the West Indies. She cruised for some time,
making several rich prizes, which she sent into Port Royal, Jamaica, and
which filled the purses of her officers and men in a very satisfactory
manner. Still, no honour or promotion was to be obtained by the capture
of honest merchantmen. At length, however, there appeared a chance of
falling in with an antagonist worthy of her. One morning at dawn a
stranger was discovered on the lee beam. The "Vestal" was kept away,
and all sail made in chase. As the "Vestal" gained on the chase, she
was discovered to be a large ship, and pronounced to be flush-decked.

"Then we'll tackle her; never mind how many guns she carries," exclaimed
the captain--a sentiment to which his officers and men responded
heartily.

The chase was accordingly continued, and as the vessel came up with her
on the weather quarter, it was seen that she was a large flush-decked
ship, carrying twenty-two guns. The ensign of France flew out from the
stranger's peak, and was saluted by a shot from one of the corvette's
bow guns. The battle thus begun, the "Vestal" keeping the weather
gauge, was continued for half-an-hour with great fury, till the
Frenchman's foremast went by the board. The enemy's guns were well
handled, and the corvette began to suffer accordingly. The first
lieutenant and five men were killed, and the captain, a midshipman, and
several men wounded. The captain was carried below, and the command
devolved on Pearce. The young lieutenant's heart beat high. "Bonham,"
he said, addressing his friend who was standing near him, "we'll take
that ship, or go down with our colours flying." The breeze which had
fallen returned, and as the corvette was still under perfect command, he
was able at length to obtain a position by which he could pour several
raking broadsides into the bows of the enemy. Her main-top mast was
shot away; her mizen-mast followe