rsons were seen collected at the
landing-place.

Jack agreed to accompany Higson, who of course had put on his
commander's uniform, on shore; the two other boats followed with most of
the officers, all in full-dress. The colonel was the first person to
greet them. He welcomed them cordially, and invited the whole party up
to the house, where the ladies sat ready to receive them. The eyes of
the fair Ivanowna beamed with pleasure as they rested on the gallant
commander, though she cast them down modestly as he approached to take
her hand, which he lifted gallantly to his lips.

The eyes of poor little Feodorowna wandered in vain among the group of
officers in the background in search of Tom, and her countenance fell on
discovering that he was not among them. Unable to restrain her anxiety,
she asked Herr Groben, who was compelled to inform her of the truth, on
hearing which she burst into tears.

"How very, very cruel to send him away!" she exclaimed; "I don't see why
my sister's lover should have been allowed to come and mine been sent
off to England."

Herr Groben tried to explain that the one was a commander, and the other
only a midshipman; and that while one might be allowed to act as he
thought fit, the other was still under the direction of his parents.
Nothing, however, would comfort her; it had, however, the effect of
making her look very interesting; and just at that moment any one of the
officers would have been perfectly ready to take Tom's place, especially
Dicky Duff and Billy Blueblazes; indeed, they both determined to make
her an offer in the course of the evening, and to toss up which should
first do so. Perhaps the attention she received somewhat consoled her,
for she soon dried her tears, and to all appearance became perfectly
happy.

After a magnificent banquet, when the table literally groaned with
viands of all descriptions, a dance was got up, several young ladies
arriving from various houses in the neighbourhood, while for a couple of
hours after it had begun, others, to whom notice of the coming of the
English ship had been sent, arrived from greater distances. As a
natural consequence, all the unmarried and unengaged officers lost their
hearts to Russian young ladies, and it was said that Feodorowna received
certainly two if not three offers before the evening was over. Jack,
when he found the state of affairs, began to consider whether he had not
made a mistake in coming to the pla