er; how fine she is!' An' think
ye that Mr. Martin Newcombe would tak' into his house an' hame a wife
wha hadna come honestly by her clothes! I tell ye, Master Bonnet, that
ye should exalt your soul in thankfulness that ye are no longer a
dishonest mon, an' that whatever raiment your daughter may now wear, no'
a sleeve or button o' it was purloined an' stolen by her father."

"Ben Greenway," exclaimed Bonnet, striking his hand upon the table, "you
will drive me so mad that I cannot read writing! These things are bad
enough, and you need not make them worse."

"Bless Heaven," said the Scotchman, "your conscience is wakin', an' the
time may come, if it is kept workin', when ye will forget your plunder
an' your blude, your wicked vanity, your cruelty an' your dishonesty,
an' mak' yoursel' worthy o' a good daughter an' a quiet hame. An' more
than that, I will tak' leave to add, o' the faithful services o' a
steadfast friend."

"I cannot forget them, Ben," said Bonnet, speaking without anger. "The
more you talk about my sins the more I long to do them all over again;
the more you say about my vanity and pride, the more I yearn to wear my
uniform and wave my naked sword. Ay, to bring it down with blood upon
its blade. I am very wicked, Greenway; you never would admit it and you
do not admit it now, but I am wicked, and I could prove it to you if
fortune would give me opportunity." And Captain Bonnet sat up very
straight in his chair and his eyes flashed as they very often had
flashed as he trod the deck of the Revenge.

At this moment there was a knock at the door and the captain of the
Belinda came in.

"Good-day, sir!" said that burly seaman. "And this is Captain Bonnet, I
am sure, for I have seen him before, though garbed in another fashion,
and I come to bring you news. I have just arrived at this port in my
sloop, and I bring with me from Kingston your daughter, Mistress Kate
Bonnet, her uncle, Mr. Delaplaine, and a good dame named Charter."

Stede Bonnet turned pale as he had never turned pale before.

"My daughter!" he gasped. "My daughter Kate?"

"Yes," said the captain; "she is on my ship, yearning and moaning to see
you."

"From Kingston?" murmured Bonnet.

"Yes," said the other, "and on fire to see you since she heard you were
here."

"Master Bonnet," exclaimed Ben Greenway, rising, "we must hasten to that
vessel; perhaps this good captain will now tak' us there in his boat."

Bonnet fixed his eyes u