her handsome features.

"We officers are not masters of our own time, madam, and can rarely
consult our own wishes as to a cruising ground; but I frankly own that
it was something more than mere accident which brought me this time to
Calcutta."

As he said this, his eyes again wandered towards her daughter's face,
but it was still cold, impassive and beautiful as before, while she
gazed on that distant sea. He paused for a moment more, almost trembling
with suppressed emotions of disappointment, chagrin and anger, and
seemed at a loss what to say further; he felt constrained, and wished
that he might have seen the daughter for a moment more alone.

"Farewell is an unpleasant word to say, ladies," he said, at last, still
controlling his feelings with a masterly effort. Then offerings a hand
to the mother, he bowed respectfully and said "Good-by;" and to her, who
now turned with evident feeling evinced in her lovely face at the idea
of a long parting, he offered his hand, which was frankly pressed, while
he said: "I carry away a heavy heart to sea with me, Miss Huntington;
could it be weighed, it would overballast yonder ship."

"Farewell, captain; a happy and safe voyage to you," she answered, with
assumed gaiety of tone; but there was no reply. He bowed low and
hastened away, with a spirit of disappointment clouding his sun-burned
features.

The view which might be had from the window commanded a continuous sight
of the road that the young officer must traverse to reach the ship, and
though she had treated him thus coldly, and had so decidedly declined
his suit, yet here lingered some strange interest about him in her mind,
as was evinced by her now repairing to the window, and sitting behind
the broad shadow of its painted screen, where she watched his approach
to she landing, near the city gates, and saw the sturdy boatmen dip
their oars in regular time, propelling the boat with arrow-like speed to
the ship's side, where its master hastened upon deck and disappeared,
while the boat was hoisted to the quarter-davits.

Anon she saw the sheets fall from the ponderous yards, and sheeted home,
the anchor gradually raised to her bow, the yards squared to bring her
with her head to the sea, and then a clear white cloud of smoke burst
from her bows as she gathered steerage-way, and a dull heavy report of
distant ordinance boomed upon the ear of the listening girl, unanswered
by a deep sigh from her own bosom--a sigh no