civil and obedient they had
nothing to fear.

"Civil and obedient, indeed!" cried Miss Ossulton, "to a fellow who is a
smuggler and a pirate! I, the sister of Lord B---! Never! The
presumption of the wretch!"

"That is all very well, aunt; but recollect, we must submit to
circumstances. These men insist upon our dining with them; and we must
go, or we shall have no dinner."

"I, sit down with a pirate! Never! I'll have no dinner--I'll starve--
I'll die!"

"But, my dear aunt, it's the only chance we have of obtaining our
release; and if you do not do it Mrs Lascelles will think that you wish
to remain with them."

"Mrs Lascelles judges of other people by herself."

"The captain is certainly a very well-behaved, handsome man. He looks
like a nobleman in disguise. What an odd thing it would be, aunt, if
this should be all a hoax!"

"A hoax, child?" replied Miss Ossulton, sitting up on the sofa.

Cecilia found that she had hit the right nail, as the saying is; and she
brought forward so many arguments to prove that she thought it was a
hoax to frighten them, and that the gentleman above was a man of
consequence, that her aunt began to listen to reason, and at last
consented to join the dinner-party. Mrs Lascelles now came down below;
and when dinner was announced they repaired to the large cabin, where
they found Pickersgill and Corbett waiting for them.

Miss Ossulton did not venture to look up, until she heard Pickersgill
say to Mrs Lascelles, "Perhaps, madam, you will do me the favour to
introduce me to that lady, whom I have not had the honour of seeing
before?"

"Certainly, my lord," replied Mrs Lascelles. "Miss Ossulton, the aunt
of this young lady."

Mrs Lascelles purposely did not introduce _his lordship_ in return,
that she might mystify the old spinster.

"I feel highly honoured in finding, myself in the company of Miss
Ossulton," said Pickersgill. "Ladies, we wait but for you to sit down.
Ossulton, take the head of the table and serve the soup."

Miss Ossulton was astonished; she looked at the smugglers, and perceived
two well-dressed gentlemanly men, one of whom was apparently a lord and
the other having the same family name.

"It must be all a hoax," thought she, and she very quietly took to her
soup.

The dinner passed off very pleasantly; Pickersgill was agreeable,
Corbett funny, and Miss Ossulton so far recovered herself as to drink
wine with his lordship, and to ask Corbett