in fact, the largest of the many brill farms that used, in those
days, to line the river from Limehouse Reach to Cherry Garden Pier.

'His wealth and importance did not deter me from aspiring to the hand of
his fascinating daughter; and why should they have done so? Was not I in
the very promising position of owning the largest corn-chandler's store,
from Wapping Old Stairs even as far down as Barking Creek? And then,
again, was not I as well born as he, for did not my ancestors chandle
corn in Barking long before the De Trevors had crossed the Channel, when
they may, indeed, have earned a precarious livelihood by letting
bathing-machines on the beach at Boulogne?

'Nevertheless, on my broaching the subject to the old gentleman, he
threw every conceivable obstacle in my way, and made conditions that
were wellnigh impossible of being carried out. "If," said he, "you can
bring to me, within the next few years, some object more wonderful than
anything in the Bethnal Green Museum,--some object beside which St.
Paul's Cathedral, the Monument, the Tower of London, or the Tower Bridge
will be as uninteresting as an old one-bladed pocket-knife,--then you
shall marry my daughter, but not otherwise"; and he chuckled to himself,
knowing only too well that he had wellnigh dashed my hopes for ever.

'But, after all, little did he know Plain Jack. Disappointed, but with
some hope yet of claiming the lovely Jane, I sold my business for a
considerable sum of money, which I took with me in my sea-chest, and
signed on as Cabin Boy aboard the Swedish ship, _Turnip_, fully
determined to travel all over the world, if necessary, in order to
fulfil the conditions imposed upon me by the irritating old gentleman.

'Foreseeing well how useful my superior officers might be to me in my
quest, I resolved, as far as possible to deserve their good-will, and I
behaved with such exemplary conduct that before we had passed Greenwich
Hospital I was promoted to the rank of twelfth mate.

'Still persevering in my good intentions, I performed many little acts
of kindness, such as brewing the captain a cup of tea when he least
expected it, and handing round to the officers and crew bars of colt's
foot rock, a supply of which I took good care to bring with me. I
repeat, so continually attentive was I, that, before we had passed the
Nore, I was promoted to the rank of eleventh mate.

'Off Herne Bay, I was still further able to gratify the captain and
offi