man but a
real skinner shall ever command a craft of mine."

"Roswell _is_ a good fellow," answered Mary, with emphasis, the tears
filling her eyes as she listened to these eulogiums of her uncle on the
youth she loved with all of a woman's tenderness, at the very moment she
scrupled to place her happiness on one whose 'God was not her God.' "No
one knows him better than I, uncle, and no one respects him more. But, had
I not better read the rest of his letter?--there is a good deal more of
it."

"Go on, child, go on--but, read the part over again where he speaks of the
quantity of the ile he has shipped to Fish & Grinnell."

Mary did as requested, when she proceeded to read aloud the rest of the
communication.

"I have been much at a loss how to act in regard to Captain Daggett," said
Roswell, in his letter. "He stood by me so manfully and generously off
Cape Hatteras, that I did not like to part company in the night, or in a
squall, which would have seemed ungrateful, as well as wearing a sort of
runaway look. I am afraid he has some knowledge of the existence of our
islands, though I doubt whether he has their latitude and longitude
exactly. Something there is of this nature on board the other schooner,
her people often dropping hints to my officers and men, when they have
been gamming. I have sometimes fancied Daggett sticks so close to us, that
he may get the advantage of our reckoning to help him to what he wants to
find. He is no great navigator anywhere, running more by signs and
currents, in my judgment, than by the use of his instruments. Still, he
could find his way to any part of the world."

"Stop there, Mary; stop a little, and let me have time to consider. Isn't
it awful, child?"

The niece changed colour, and seemed really frightened, so catching was
the deacon's distress, though she scarce knew what was the matter.

"What is awful, uncle?" at length she asked, anxious to know the worst.

"This covetousness in them Vineyarders! I consider it both awful and
wicked. I must get the Rev. Mr. Whittle to preach against the sin of
covetousness; it does gain so much ground in Ameriky! The whole church
should lift its voice against it, or it will shortly lift its voice
against the church. To think of them Daggetts' fitting out a schooner to
follow my craft about the 'arth in this unheard-of manner; just as if she
was a pilot-boat, and young Gar'ner a pilot! I do hope the fellows will
make a wrack of it, a