hither. My Lord Comyn, this is Captain John
Paul."

The captain, who had been quite overwhelmed by this sudden arrival of a
real lord to our rescue at the very moment when we had sunk to despair,
and no less astonished by the intimacy that seemed to exist between the
newcomer and myself, had the presence of mind to bend his head, and that
was all. Comyn shook his hand heartily.

"You shall not lack reward for this, captain, I promise you," cried he.
"What you have done for Mr. Carvel, you have done for me. Captain, I
thank you. You shall have my interest."

I flushed, seeing John Paul draw his lips together. But how was his
Lordship to know that he was dealing with no common sea-captain?

"I have sought no reward, my Lord," said he. "What I have done was out
of friendship for Mr. Carvel, solely."

Comyn was completely taken by surprise by these words, and by the
haughty tone in which they were spoken. He had not looked for a
gentleman, and no wonder. He took a quizzical sizing of the sky-blue
coat. Such a man in such a station was out of his experience.

"Egad, I believe you, captain," he answered, in a voice which said
plainly that he did not. "But he shall be rewarded nevertheless, eh,
Richard? I'll see Charles Fox in this matter to-morrow. Come, come,"
he added impatiently, "the bailiff must have his change by now. Come,
Richard!" and he led the way down the winding stairs.

"You must not take offence at his ways," I whispered to the captain. For
I well knew that a year before I should have taken the same tone with
one not of my class. "His Lordship is all kindness."

"I have learned a bit since I came into England, Richard," was his sober
reply.

"'Twas a pitiful sight to see gathered on the landings the poor fellows
we had come to know in Castle Yard, whose horizons were then as gray as
ours was bright. But they each had a cheery word of congratulation for
us as we passed, and the unhappy gentleman from Devonshire pressed my
hand and begged that I would sometime think of him when I was out under
the sky. I promised even more, and am happy to be able to say, my dears,
that I saw both him and his wife off for America before I left London.
Our eyes were wet when we reached the lower hall, and I was making for
the door in an agony to leave the place, when the bailiff came out of
his little office.

"One moment, sir," he said, getting in front of me; "there is a little
form yet to be gone through. The haste