The conduct of Pickersgill had been
such, up to the present, as to inspire confidence; and, although he
defied the laws, he appeared to regard the courtesies of life. Cecilia
was a courageous girl, and at length she replied:--
"Provided what you desire me to keep secret will not be injurious to any
one, or compromise me, in my peculiar situation, I consent."
"I would not hurt a fly, Miss Ossulton, but in self-defence, and I have
too much respect for you, from your conduct during our short meeting, to
compromise you. Allow me now to be very candid; and then, perhaps, you
will acknowledge that, in my situation, others would do the same; and,
perhaps, not show half so much forbearance. Your father, without any
right whatever, interferes with me, and my calling: he attempts to make
me a prisoner, to have me thrown in jail; heavily fined, and, perhaps,
sent out of the country. I will not enter into any defence of smuggling,
it is sufficient to say, that there are pains and penalties attached to
the infraction of certain laws, and that I choose to risk them--but Lord
B. was not empowered by Government to attack me; it was a gratuitous
act--and had I thrown him, and all his crew into the sea, I should have
been justified, for it was in short, an act of piracy on their part.
Now, as your father has thought to turn a yacht into a revenue cutter,
you cannot be surprised at my retaliating, in turning her into a
smuggler; and as he has mixed up looking after the revenue with
yachting, he cannot be surprised if I retaliate, by mixing up a little
yachting with smuggling.
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