hat at her best she is
a divinity. No, sir; I perceive what you would say; but I have nothing
questionable to disclose; no intrigues or complications, or anything of
that sort.

"My father died when I was twenty. He had been made admiral, and lived
to enjoy his rank just four months. Unfortunately, all Admiral Alvarez
had to bequeath to his son was his good name. Of fortune he had none.
You will say that a good name is the greatest of all inheritance, and so
it is; and a young man with health, strength, and a noble profession
before him should be independent of fortune. I quite agree with you. But
there are exceptions, and the exceptions are those who are born under a
conjunction of stars against which there is no fighting. If I had lived
in the days of the Egyptians I should have been an astrologer, for I
believe there is something in the science. Right or wrong, it possesses
a mysterious fascination.

"At twenty-one I married, apparently with discretion. The lady I chose
was young, handsome, and owned a fortune. Without the latter matrimony
for me would have been a dream. My lieutenant's pay, which hardly
sufficed for one, would have reduced two to the necessity of living upon
love, air, or any other ethereal ingredient that may be had for nothing.

"For a time all went merrily. We were both well-favoured by
Nature--perhaps I may be allowed to speak thus of myself when life is
closing in--and fortune seemed to have been equally considerate. It was,
however, too good to last. As I have said, I was not born under a lucky
star. All through life I have just missed great opportunities. Even as a
child I can remember that the ripe apples never fell to my share. If we
drew lots for anything I was always next the winning number and might as
well have drawn the lowest. My father, who really ought to have left me
something in the way of patrimony, left me only his blessing.

"Well, senor, my wife, I repeat, was young and handsome. She was fond of
gaiety, and having the _entree_ to a very fine society, her taste for
pleasure was easily gratified. She became extravagant, and gradually
fell into a state of nervous excitement which required constant
dissipation. I was often away from home with my vessel, but not for long
absences. They were, however, sufficiently frequent to render me
careless and unsuspicious as to the true state of our finances. When I
really learned this, it was too late. We were ruined. And not only
ruined,