thousand five hundred pounds, and that the wear and tear to the
vessel is two thousand more. There are things so terrible, that if
you will only create a belief in them, that will suffice without
anything else. I suppose we may walk down. Crasweller has gone, and
you can do nothing without him."

This was true, and I therefore prepared to descend the hill. My
position as President of the Republic did demand a certain amount
of personal dignity; and how was I to uphold that in my present
circumstances? "Jack," said I, "it is the sign of a noble mind to
bear contumely without petulance. Since our horses have gone before
us, and Crasweller and the crowd have gone, we will follow them."
Then I put my arm within his, and as I walked down the hill, I almost
took joy in thinking that Crasweller had been spared.

"Sir," said Jack, as we walked on, "I want to tell you something."

"What is it?"

"Something of most extreme importance to me! I never thought that I
should have been so fortunate as to announce to you what I've now got
to say. I hardly know whether I am standing on my head or my heels.
Eva Crasweller has promised to be my wife."

"Indeed!"

"If you will make us happy by giving us your permission."

"I should not have thought that she would have asked for that."

"She has to ask her father, and he's all right. He did say, when I
spoke to him this morning, that his permission would go for nothing,
as he was about to be led away and deposited. Of course I told him
that all that would amount to nothing."

"To nothing! What right had you to say so?"

"Well, sir,--you see that a party of us were quite determined. Eva
had said that she would never let me even speak to her as long as her
father's life was in danger. She altogether hated that wretch Grundle
for wanting to get rid of him. I swore to her that I would do the
best I could, and she said that if I could succeed, then--she thought
she could love me. What was a fellow to do?"

"What did you do?"

"I had it all out with Sir Kennington Oval, who is the prince of
good fellows; and he telegraphed to his uncle, who is Secretary for
Benevolence, or some such thing, at home."

"England is not your home," said I.

"It's the way we all speak of it."

"And what did he say?"

"Well, he went to work, and the John Bright was sent out here. But it
was only an accident that it should come on this very day."

And this was the way in which things are to be mana