'Civil and obedient, indeed!' cried Miss Ossulton, 'to a fellow who is a smuggler and a pirate! I, the sister of Lord B.! Never! The presumption of the wretch!'
'That is all very well, aunt; but recollect, we must submit to circumstances. These men insist upon our dining with them; and we must go, or we shall have no dinner.'
'I sit down with a pirate! Never! I'll have no dinner—I'll starve—I'll die!'
'But, my dear aunt, it's the only chance we have of obtaining our release; and if you do not do it Mrs. Lascelles will think that you wish to remain with them.'
'Mrs. Lascelles judges of other people by herself.'
'The captain is certainly a very well-behaved, handsome man. He looks like a nobleman in disguise. What an odd thing it would be, aunt, if this should be all a hoax!'
'A hoax, child?' replied Miss Ossulton, sitting up on the sofa.
Cecilia found that she had hit the right nail, as the saying is; and she brought forward so many arguments to prove that she thought it was a hoax to frighten them, and that the gentleman above was a man of consequence, that her aunt began to listen to reason, and at last consented to join the dinner party. Mrs. Lascelles now came down below; and when dinner was announced they repaired to the large cabin, where they found Pickersgill and Corbett waiting for them.
Miss Ossulton did not venture to look up, until she heard Pickersgill say to Mrs. Lascelles, 'Perhaps, madam, you will do me the favour to introduce me to that lady, whom I have not had the honour of seeing before?'
'Certainly, my lord,' replied Mrs. Lascelles. 'Miss Ossulton, the aunt of this young lady.'