uce her to
be parted from him after he took her up in his arms, and he had brought
her away with him, and the men had made the bower for her. To see those
men now, was a sight. The joy of the women was beautiful; the joy of
those women who had lost their own children, was quite sacred and divine;
but, the ecstasies of Captain Carton's boat's crew, when their pet was
restored to her parents, were wonderful for the tenderness they showed in
the midst of roughness. As the Captain stood with the child in his arms,
and the child's own little arms now clinging round his neck, now round
her father's, now round her mother's, now round some one who pressed up
to kiss her, the boat's crew shook hands with one another, waved their
hats over their heads, laughed, sang, cried, danced--and all among
themselves, without wanting to interfere with anybody--in a manner never
to be represented. At last, I saw the coxswain and another, two very
hard-faced men, with grizzled heads, who had been the heartiest of the
hearty all along, close with one another, get each of them the other's
head under his arm, and pommel away at it with his fist as hard as he
could, in his excess of joy.

When we had well rested and refreshed ourselves--and very glad we were to
have some of the heartening things to eat and drink that had come up in
the boats--we recommenced our voyage down the river: rafts, and boats,
and all. I said to myself, it was a _very_ different kind of voyage now,
from what it had been; and I fell into my proper place and station among
my fellow-soldiers.

But, when we halted for the night, I found that Miss Maryon had spoken to
Captain Carton concerning me. For, the Captain came straight up to me,
and says he, "My brave fellow, you have been Miss Maryon's body-guard all
along, and you shall remain so. Nobody shall supersede you in the
distinction and pleasure of protecting that young lady." I thanked his
honour in the fittest words I could find, and that night I was placed on
my old post of watching the place where she slept. More than once in the
night, I saw Captain Carton come out into the air, and stroll about
there, to see that all was well. I have now this other singular
confession to make, that I saw him with a heavy heart. Yes; I saw him
with a heavy, heavy heart.

In the day-time, I had the like post in Captain Carton's boat. I had a
special station of my own, behind Miss Maryon, and no hands but hers ever
touche