"Indade, your Riverence!" exclaimed Biddy, "I'll be afther claving him all the days of me life! It's not mesilf, sure, that was always born and reared in the great city of Cork, that'll be doing things by halves!" and in her happiness she caught Pat around the neck, giving him a smack, which might have been attributed to the opening of the bottle of whiskey with which Mr. Santon had graced the occasion, had it not been for those great eyes of Winnie, which would discover the accident, in spite of their mistress's endeavors to direct their attention elsewhere.
And now Patrick and Biddy were husband and wife. Never was there a more devoted couple; the days glided pleasantly on, Biddy keeping time in her endeavors to please her mistress with the joys of her heart; everything went on cheerfully, not a note of discontent was heard, except that the little Winnie would sometimes break into sighing for the pleasures of her early home. Nothing occurred to disturb the quietude of this home in the West, until early in the ensuing Fall, when Mrs. Santon was taken with a violent attack of Western fever, which threatening to undermine her health, Mr. Santon was fearful lest they should be obliged to return East; but the fever leaving her, she was again able to attend to her duties, with only an occasional "shake," and the discussion as to their return was for the present discontinued.
CHAPTER V THE OUTWARD BOUND
"Go in thy glory o'er the ancient sea,
Take with thee gentle winds thy sails to swell,
Sunshine and joy upon thy streamers be;
Fare thee well, bark; farewell!"
MRS. HEMANS.
"Farewell; God knows when we shall meet again.
I have a faint, cold fear thrilling through my veins,
That almost freezes up the heat of life."
SHAKESPEARE'S "ROMEO AND JULIET."
As the dews of heaven fall gently, lulling the flowers to rest, so did the low, clear voice of the Sea-flower soothe the weary spirits of Mrs. Grosvenor, as she read from the evening paper the following paragraph:
"Spoken by bark Constitution, of New York, in latitude 39° 20', longitude 45°, ship Tantalizer, of Nant., Capt. I. W. Grosvenor, eighty days from home; had taken seventy barrels of sperm oil, and was made fast to a forty-barrel right whale: would sail for South Seas in a few days; all well."
"Hurrah for father!" exclaimed Harry; "he will be at home in less than two years, at that rate, and then he promised me that I should see what old ocean is made of!"
"My son, you will learn full soon what a life at sea is; your bright visions may indeed some of them be realized, the many dangers to which you will be exposed, will not serve to mar your joys, for to such a heart as yours they will pass unheeded; but for all that, my son, you will meet with many hardships, of which you little know. I would wish you never to follow the sea, my boy, but if you are still determined upon it, when your father returns I shall have to give my consent, though with reluctance. You will then be old enough to choose your own pursuits for life, and whatever they may be, remember, Harry, to lead an honest, upright life, never losing sight of your early instructions, and the prayers of your mother."
As Mrs. Grosvenor ceased speaking she looked upon her son, and could hardly realize that her little rosy-cheeked Harry, who had loved to lay his head upon her bosom, and listen while she told him of his father, who had gone away over the blue water, to get such pretty things for his boy, had grown to be a tall lad of fifteen years; and well might she have been proud of her son, for the nobleness of his soul was apparent in every feature. As Vingo expressed himself, "Young massa Harry am got up ob what neber would get used to de atmosphere ob old Berginny."