But it was brought to our minds about a month afterwards in a way I am never likely to forget.
Meanwhile we still kept up our game of playing at being pirates.
It was summer now, and dear sister Mattie came often to see us, more often with her Mummy Gray than with Aunt Serapheema.
Of course we initiated her into the mystery of the pirate-game, and she took a most active part in it too. She acted the rich old dowager who had bags of gold and treasures untold, diamonds and all the rest of it, and who was eventually captured, and made to walk the plank with the rest of the unhappy crew.
I never saw any game take such complete possession of a child, as that pirate-play did of Mattie. She came oftener on board now than she might otherwise have done; she entered into the thing heart and soul, suggesting many improvements we never should have thought about, and acting her part as if to the manner born.
Of course she was told of the black flag, and must see it, and her eyes actually sparkled as they fell on the weird white skull and bleached cross-bones.
Things went on thus for some weeks longer, the pirate-play never losing interest, and each of us being thorough masters of his or her part.
But one day Mr Moore with his wife were invited to Trafalgar Cottage and Tom Morley was left in charge of the ship, while at her own special request Mattie was also left on board.
We could play now to our hearts’ content.
But we little knew what was before us.