ured Commandant. They ran through the Archipelago in safety, and
were crossing the mouth of the Bay of Bengal, without having had any
interruption to fine weather. Father Mathias had returned to Lisbon,
when he quitted Ternicore, and, tired of idleness, had again
volunteered to proceed as a missionary to India. He had arrived at
Formosa, and shortly after his arrival, had received directions from
his superior to return on important business to Goa, and thus it was
that he fell in with Amine at Tidore.

It would be difficult to analyse the feelings of Father Mathias
towards Amine--they varied so often. At one moment, he would call to
mind the kindness shown to him by her and Philip--the regard he had
for the husband, and the many good qualities which he acknowledged
that she possessed--and _now_ he would recollect the disgrace, the
unmerited disgrace, he had suffered through her means; and he would
then canvass, whether she really did believe him an intruder in her
chamber for other motives than those which actuated him, or whether
she had taken advantage of his indiscretion. These accounts were
nearly balanced in his mind; he could have forgiven all, if he had
thought that Amine was a sincere convert to the church; but his strong
conviction that she was not only an unbeliever, but that she practised
forbidden arts, turned the scale against her. He watched her narrowly,
and when, in her conversation, she shewed any religious feeling, his
heart warmed towards her; but when, on the contrary, any words escaped
her lips which seemed to show that she thought lightly of his creed,
then the full tide of indignation and vengeance poured into his bosom.

It was in crossing the Bay of Bengal, to pass round the southern cape
of Ceylon, that they first met with bad weather; and when the storm
increased, the superstitious seamen lighted candles before the small
image of the saint which was shrined on deck. Amine observed it,
and smiled with scorn; and as she did so, almost unwittingly, she
perceived that the eye of Father Mathias was earnestly fixed upon her.

"The Papooses I have just left do no worse than worship their idols,
and are termed idolaters," muttered Amine. "What then are these
Christians?"

"Would you not be better below?" said Father Mathias, coming over to
Amine; "this is no time for women to be on deck--they would be better
employed in offering up prayers for safety."

"Nay, Father, I can pray better here; I lik