villains who fear neither
God nor man, and that, unless a miracle is wrought in her behalf,
nothing can save her--"

"Oh! spare me, Mary; why do you harrow my broken heart with such a
picture?" cried Mr Mason, rising and pacing the room with quick
unsteady steps, while with both hands on his head he seemed to attempt
to crush down the thoughts that burned up his brain.

"I speak thus," said the widow, with an earnestness of tone and manner
that almost startled her hearers, "because I wish to comfort you.
Alice, you tell me, is on board the _Foam_--"

"On board the _pirate schooner_!" cried Henry almost fiercely, for the
youth, although as much distressed as Mr Mason, was not so resigned as
he, and his spirit chafed at the thought of having been deceived so
terribly by the pirate.

"She is on board the _Foam_," repeated the widow in a tone so stern that
her hearers looked at her in surprise. "And is therefore in the hands
of Gascoyne, who will not injure a hair of her head. I tell you, Mr
Mason, that she is _perfectly safe_ in the hands of Gascoyne."

"Of the pirate Durward!" said Henry, in a deep angry voice.

"What ground have you for saying so?" asked the widow, quickly. "You
only know him as Gascoyne the sandal-wood trader, the captain of the
_Foam_. He has been suspected, it is true, but suspicion is not proof.
His schooner has been fired into by a war vessel, he has returned the
fire--any passionate man might be tempted to do that. His men have
carried off some of our dear ones. That was _their_ doing--not his. He
knew nothing of it."

"Mother, mother," cried Henry, entreatingly, "don't stand up in that way
for a pirate; I can't bear to hear it. Did he not himself describe the
pirate schooner's appearance in this room, and when he was attacked by
the _Talisman_ did he not shew out in his true colours, thereby proving
that he is Durward the pirate?"

The widow's face grew pale and her voice trembled as she replied, like
one who sought to convince herself rather than her hearer, "That is not
_positive_ proof, Henry. Gascoyne may have had some good reason for
deceiving you all in this way. His description of the pirate may have
been a false one. We cannot tell. You know he was anxious to prevent
Captain Montague from impressing his men."

"And would proclaiming himself a pirate be a good way of accomplishing
that end, mother?"

"Mary," said Mr Mason solemnly, as he seated himself at the table a