d. "I have
great satisfaction in being the first to announce to you that your
great-uncle, M. Deikman, who died a year ago, has left you heiress to
all his property, amounting to twenty thousand rupees a year; and you
may at once take possession of it."

I will not stop to describe the contentment of the widow at her change
of fortune, the joy of little Maria, and the satisfaction of the
lieutenant. I spent four days at the house of her uncle, who was very
attentive to me; and I need scarcely say that, when the time for my
departure arrived, I was very sorry to leave her with the prospect of
never again seeing her; and still more so my young friend Maria. I am
happy to say that prosperity did not appear to have made the widow
forget the good resolutions she had formed in adversity. She insisted
on repaying me the money I had spent on her account; and I had reason
afterwards to know that she was not ungrateful. It was arranged that
Lieutenant Jeekel was to accompany me, and that we were to travel on
horseback, by which mode we should be able to diverge oftener from the
high road, and to see more of the country than we had been able to do
coming. Little Maria cried very much as I wished her good-bye.

"You are going away, and I shall never--never--see you again, my dear,
dear Mr Seaworth!" she exclaimed, as she held my hands, and looked up
affectionately into my face. "Now, promise me, if you succeed in
finding your dear little Eva--and I am sure you will find her--that you
will come back and show her to me. I so long to see her, and to love
her, and to tell her how kind you have been to me. I will pray every
night and morning that she may be restored to you, and that she may live
to reward you for all your trouble in looking after her. You will
promise then, my dear Mr Seaworth; I know you will."

"Indeed, I should be very sorry if I thought I was not to see you
again," I replied, completely won by her artless manner. "If I possibly
can--if I am so blessed as to find my sister--I will come and introduce
her to you."

With this answer the little girl was satisfied. At length we started.
I had a very pleasant journey, and collected a great deal of information
as to the manners and customs of the Javanese. We saw several tigers,
and deer, and wild hogs, and monkeys innumerable, and snakes and other
reptiles; but had no adventure worth recording, and reached Sourabaya in
safety.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

W