This at once put an end to all our researches
after the wet-nurse, who had been confined in my uncle's house. Where
she had been sent, it was of course impossible to say; but I gave up all
chance of discovering my uncle's treachery; and, as I thought of
Celeste, sighed at the little hope I had of ever being united to her. I
wrote a long letter to O'Brien, and the next day we sailed for our
station in the North Sea.
The captain added a night order-book to the other, and sent it up every
evening, to be returned in the morning, with the signature of every
officer of the night watches. He also required all our signatures to his
general order-book, that we might not say we had not read them. I had
the first watch, when Swinburne came up to me. "Well, Mr Simple, I do
not think we have made much by our exchange of captains; and I have a
shrewd suspicion we shall have squalls ere long."
"We must not judge too hastily, Swinburne," replied I.
"No, no--I don't say that we should; but still, one must go a little by
looks in the world, and I'm sure his looks wouldn't help him much. He's
just like a winter's day, short and dirty; and he walks the deck as if
planks were not good enough for his feet. Mr Williams says, he looks as
if he were 'big with the fate of Cato and of Rome:' what that means, I
don't know--some joke, I suppose, for the youngsters are always joking.
Were you ever up the Baltic, Mr Simple? Now I think of it, I know you
never were. I've seen some tight work up there with the gun-boats; and
so we should now with Captain O'Brien; but as for this little man, I've
an idea 'twill be more talk than work.
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