I should, indeed, be miserable, if, through my wild freaks, any
accident should happen to Mrs Lascelles or Miss Ossulton."
"I am very anxious about my father," observed Cecilia. "I trust that you
will keep your promise."
"I always have hitherto, Miss Ossulton; have I not?"
"Ours is but a short and strange acquaintance."
"I grant it; but it will serve for you to talk about long after. I shall
disappear as suddenly as I have come--you will neither of you, in all
probability, ever see me again."
The dinner was announced, and they sat down to table as before; but the
elderly spinster refused to make her appearance; and Mrs Lascelles and
Cecilia, who thought she had been frightened enough, did not attempt to
force her. Pickersgill immediately yielded to these remonstrances, and,
from that time she remained undisturbed in the ladies' cabin, meditating
over the indignity of having sat down to table, having drank wine, and
been obliged to walk on shore, taking the arm of a smuggler, and appear
in such a humiliating situation.
The wind was light, and they made but little progress, and were not
abreast of Portland till the second day, when another yacht appeared in
sight, and the two vessels slowly neared until in the afternoon they
were within four miles of each other. It then fell a dead calm--signals
were thrown out by the other yacht, but could not be distinguished, and,
for the last time, they sat down to dinner. Three days' companionship on
board of a vessel, cooped up together, and having no one else to
converse with, will produce intimacy; and Pickersgill was a young man of
so much originality and information, that he was listened to with
pleasure.
Pages:
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772