xplaining how she came acquainted with Jean's
arguments, proceeded to demolish them one by one.

"If your mother is old and experienced," said she, "benefit by her age
and experience. She has not forgotten love, nor the ills it leads to,
when not fortified by prudence. Scripture says a man shall cleave to
his wife when he has left his parents; but in making that, the most
important step of life, where do you read that he is to break the fifth
commandment? But I do you wrong, Charles, you never could have listened
to that vulgar girl when she told you your mother was not your best
friend."

"N--no, mother, of course not."

"Then you will not go to that place to break my heart, and undo all you
have done this week."

"I should like to go, mother."

"You will break my heart if you do."

"Christie will feel herself slighted, and she has not deserved this
treatment from me."

"The other will explain to her, and if she is as good a girl as you
say--"

"She is an angel!"

"How can a fishwife be an angel? Well, then, she will not set a son to
disobey his mother."

"I don't think she would! but is all the goodness to be on her side?"

"No, Charles, you do your part; deny yourself, be an obedient child, and
your mother's blessing and the blessing of Heaven will rest upon you."

In short, he was not to go to Inch Coombe.

He stayed at home, his mother set him to work; he made a poor hand of
it, he was so wretched. She at last took compassion on him, and in the
evening, when it was now too late for a sail to Inch Coombe, she herself
recommended a walk to him.

The poor boy's feet took him toward Newhaven, not that he meant to go to
his love, but he could not forbear from looking at the place which held
her.

He was about to return, when a spacious blue jacket hailed him.
Somewhere inside this jacket was Master Flucker, who had returned in the
yacht, leaving his sister on the island.

Gatty instantly poured out a flood of questions.

The baddish boy reciprocated fluency. He informed him "that his sister
had been the star of a goodly company, and that, her own lad having
stayed away, she had condescended to make a conquest of the skipper
himself.

"He had come in quite at the tag-end of one of her stories, but it had
been sufficient to do his business--he had danced with her, had even
whistled while she sung. (Hech, it was bonny!)

"And when the cutter sailed, he, Flucker, had seen her perched on a
rock, li