Glenarvan then told the story of the document, the voyage of the Duncan, and the attempts made to find Captain Grant. He confessed that his dearest hopes had been destroyed by Mr. O'Moore's discouraging information, and that he now despaired of ever finding the shipwrecked seamen of the Britannia.
These words produced a gloomy impression upon his hearers. Robert and Mary listened to them with tearful eyes. Paganel could not find a word of consolation or hope. Captain Mangles suffered a grief that he could not subdue. Despair was seizing upon the souls of the noble people whom the Duncan had vainly brought to these distant shores, when all at once a voice was heard:—
"My lord, praise and thank God! If Captain Grant is living, he is in Australia."
[CHAPTER XXXI.]
THE QUARTERMASTER OF THE BRITANNIA.
The astonishment that these words produced cannot be described. Glenarvan sprang to his feet, and, pushing back his chair, cried,—
"Who says that?"
"I!" replied one of O'Moore's workmen, seated at the end of the table.