s were rather pleasing. His eyes were large and black, but
restless and snaky; I noticed that he never looked straight into my face
when speaking to me. He was dressed in the height of the prevailing
fashion, and he showed a good deal of jewelry. They both pressed me to
accompany them to the opera, but as I was not appropriately dressed, I
declined politely, and they went without me.

"I had previously learned at the office of the company, that they had
not heard anything of Henry, so I sorrowfully returned aboard my ship,
almost decided to give up a sea-faring life. I was then fifty years of
age, and I thought of buying a farm, where I could settle down at my
ease. I knew that Annie was in a dangerous position for a handsome
woman--left alone with no one to advise or restrain her--and I wished to
take her with me, so as to remove her from temptation. I therefore,
wrote to Lucy, asking her opinion, and requesting her to advise Annie to
give up her present mode of life.

"Lucy wrote a long letter in reply: she said that she very much feared
there was something wrong between Annie and Pattmore; when Annie was
staying at Greenville, Lucy had written twice, asking her to come to
Morristown, where Lucy lived; Annie had promised to do so, but she had
never come. Pattmore, Lucy said, was a prominent politician in
Greenville, and he was looking forward to the nomination for
congressman. Mrs. Pattmore was a very good woman, of fine appearance and
agreeable manners; she was very domestic in her tastes and she delighted
in taking care of her home and children. There were three children
living, the eldest son being about twenty-one years old, and the other
two being quite young. Mr. Pattmore's hotel was very well kept and
popular, and he was supposed to be wealthy.

"Lucy's letter added greatly to the anxiety which I felt about Annie,
and I was very desirous of resigning my command immediately, in order to
settle down on a farm with her, and thus remove her from the temptations
of a gay city. I felt sure that nothing more would be necessary than a
retired, quiet life for a few months, to prepare her to give Henry a
joyful and affectionate welcome on his return. Circumstances, however,
made it impossible for me to give up my ship at that time, and, at the
earnest request of the directors of the company (in which I had invested
a considerable portion of my savings) I consented to make one or two
more cruises. Accordingly, I sailed