“Never desert this little girl whilst you have life and power to assist her;” the next moment he sprang on shore, waved his hand, and disappeared in the obscurity of the night.
Mabel burst into a flood of tears, and putting her little arms round young Thornton’s neck, exclaimed—
“Oh! my mother! my poor mother; shall I never see her again? But you—you will not desert poor Mabel?”
William Thornton kissed the cold cheek of the little girl, for whom he already felt the affection of a brother, saying—
“Do not give way to grief, Mabel; God, who has protected you through such perils, will protect you now, and restore your dear mother to you. Call me brother, for I will show you all the affection a brother can.”
“Well, upon my honour,” said the Lieutenant, “if this is not a romance I know not what is. Give way, my lads, give way, and let us get on board, and thank our stars that one of those round shot did not stop our logs.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” said Bill Saunders, pulling the stroke oar, and making the tough ash bend to his powerful arm, whilst muttering to himself, “yes, blow me if I wouldn’t be a father to the little thing myself.”
FOOTNOTES:
[2] Lieutenant Cooke was arrested in the streets of Toulon by the mob, but was in the end allowed to proceed to his boat.—James’s Naval History.