An hour afterwards William Thornton was put on board the Babet, where he found his friend Lieutenant O’Loughlin, the appointed commander of the corvette, walking the quarter deck, enjoying a glorious sunset and a pipe.
“Well, my lad, bade them all good bye? There’s Madame below, and her daughters, quite anxious that you should take your coffee with them; and your little protégée popping up her head every now and then to see if you have arrived. Be the piper of Moll Kelly, you’re a broth of a boy with the fair sex; go on and prosper; faith, I think you might turn Turk with advantage.”
William Thornton laughed, saying:
“I never knew you to object to the company of a pretty face; but as you are my commander now, I must be careful what I say.”
“Oh, be gor, if you go to studying manners and touching hats to Patrick O’Loughlin, be the powers, I’ll shut you up from the women altogether. But tell me, William, how long will it take you to teach me a few French sentences, such as—hem—as, ‘I love you,’ and all that kind of thing; for, confound it, I don’t know a word of their parley-vous, and that’s a sweet creature below.”
“Oh,” said William Thornton, with a smile, “the admiral’s widow—ah, so she is; best tempered woman possible.”
“Devil take your impudence; you don’t want to make love to the whole three, do you; and leave me the mother, eh?”
“Make love,” said the hero, very demurely; “who ever heard of a midshipman making love? but I suppose it’s Mademoiselle Agatha’s eyes that have scorched your tinder heart; faith, O’Loughlin, it has had so many sparks applied to it, that one would imagine it was past kindling again. I’ll tell you what I will do for you, I’ll set to work at once to teach Mademoiselle Agatha English; I will engage to make her decline the verb ‘I love’ before a week’s out.”
“Oh, by St. Peter! the devil doubt ye, my lad; but I’ll try that myself. Stick to the little thing, with her fine dark eyes like two diamonds. She’ll make a tidy craft by the time the cat’s done cleaning your chin, and I’ll lend you a razor then.”
William Thornton laughed, and dived down the companion, and soon found himself seated at table beside his serious-faced little protégée, and the two lively, pretty daughters of Madame Volney.