“You are very kind indeed, sir,” said the young lady. “I would not ask any officer to neglect his duty to the king he serves; I should despise him if he did.”
She had risen from her seat, and stood resting her left hand on the table, while her right was slightly raised to give expression to her sentiments.
“Ho, ho!” I thought, “your politics do not agree, then, with those of your aunt.”
I looked up into her face. I could not help it. How beautiful and animated she looked! Her figure was not tall, though exquisitely proportioned and rounded as if she enjoyed excellent health, and had been subject to very few of the cares and disappointments of life. In a word, I thought her a perfect heroine, and so she was. I could not help congratulating myself at the idea of having her society on board the tender for at least the next two days, and perhaps longer, and I must own that I was in no hurry to finish looking over the papers of the Crab, though for the life of me I could not have told a word of their contents.
“Well, mister, are you satisfied now?”
The harsh, grating sounds of Captain Cobb’s voice, for he it was who spoke, recalled me to myself.
“Yes, yes,” I answered. “Turn your hands up and get a hawser secured on board with plenty of scope.”
I then once more addressed the young lady—
“I must beg you and your aunt to come on board my schooner. This vessel is not in a safe condition for you to remain in her. I will, believe me, endeavour to do everything to secure your comfort and to mitigate the annoyance you must of course feel. I will go on deck and endeavour to persuade your aunt to do what is necessary.”
“I wish you would,” she answered. “I am afraid that you will have no little difficulty, though.”