oast of having any
himself."

Captain Trunnion, however, appeared to have insinuated himself into the
good graces of our senior partner, at whose house he was a frequent
visitor. He had a strong attraction there; for Lucy, Mr Crank's, only
child, was a sweet, amiable, pretty girl, and Captain Trunnion believed
that, could he win her, he should not only obtain a charming wife, but
become possessed, some day or other, of Mr Crank's property. Which
influenced him most I cannot say. All I know is, that he did not make
any progress in the affections of Miss Lucy, for a very good reason,
which he was not long in suspecting--that she had already given her
heart to some one else. That some one was my friend Harry Bracewell
Captain Trunnion had, however, gone away without suspecting who was his
rival.

My father and mother resided in Chester, so that I was received into the
house, as a lodger, of Mrs Bracewell; thus it was that I became more
intimate with Harry than I might otherwise have been. I also had an
opportunity of being constantly in the society of the widow's only
daughter, Mary--a charming little unaffected girl, full of life and
spirits, who treated me as her brother's friend, almost like a brother.
For a long time I also thought only of her as a sister, although,
somehow or other, I began at last to entertain the hope that, when I had
by steady industry obtained the means of making her my wife, she would
not feel it necessary to refuse me; and as my family was a respectable
one, I had no reason to fear that any objection would be raised by Mrs
Bracewell or Harry. Of my own family I need not speak, except of one
member--my brother Charley, who had gone to sea before I entered the
office, and was now a midshipman of some years' standing. He had lately
joined the "Rover" frigate, employed on the African station. Charley
and I had been fast friends and companions, as brothers should be, when
we were together, and when separated we constantly corresponded with
each other. I cannot say that I had any special fondness for mercantile
pursuits, or at all events for the work of an office, having to sit for
ten or twelve hours of the day on a high stool at a desk, but yet I was
thoroughly impressed with the fact that I must gain my own livelihood,
and that by working hard alone could I expect to do so. Had the choice
been given me, I should have preferred a life in the open air, with the
opportunity of travelling a