"Oh, Clifford, you here! I thought you were dead long ago."
"Far from it," I replied, leading her to the shelter of the weather bulwarks, for the wind was now howling fiercely. "But tell me, how came you here?"
"'Tis a long story," she said, striving to keep back the tears of joy that welled to her eyes. "But why--oh, there's Captain Jeremy!"
And at that moment our Captain came down the poop ladder, to find, to his unbounded astonishment, that Constance was one of the rescued passengers.
It was some time ere we dispensed with small talk and entered into the more important details of our respective adventures, when Captain Jeremy listened with rapt attention to my sister's narrative, occasionally giving vent to a hearty exclamation of approval as she told her story.
"You would hardly realize the consternation that your disappearance caused. At first our uncle thought you had left the house by stealth in order to go fishing, and promised you a warm reception on your return. But when evening came and you did not return, we began to grow anxious----"
"There you are," exclaimed Captain Jeremy. "Did I not say you were a young rascal, when you were found in the hold? Didst give a single thought to your worthy relative's distress?"
"There was a hue and cry raised, but though the countryside was searched most diligently, not a trace of you was found. A month or so later a lad's body was found in the Lym stream, and though 'twas well-nigh unrecognizable, our uncle was convinced 'twas yours. At any rate, he came to the conclusion that you had been drowned while swimming in the river, and the body was buried as that of Clifford Hammond."
"Then another misfortune came. Uncle John was thrown from his horse near Buckland Rings, and received such severe injuries to his head that in less than a week he died. Thus I was left without a relative in England. In my distress I thought of our mother's brother's wife, whom I knew to be living somewhere in Virginia; and being, as I thought, without a single tie at home, I resolved to adventure myself in the New World. With this object in view I went to see Lawyer Thompson of Lymington, who had, as you know, the ordering of our affairs. He approved of my resolve, but urged me to wait until definite news could be obtained of our relative's whereabouts. Accordingly a letter was sent by the hand of one Captain Joseph Bennett, whose ship Prudence was about to sail for the port of Richmond."
"Four months later I had a reply, brought by the same Captain Bennett, to the effect that Mistress Green, our maternal aunt, would be glad to receive me."