Mr Stewart was dumbfounded, no wonder, to find the ladies siding with
the smuggler.
"I am obliged to you ladies for your interference," said Pickersgill;
"for, although I have the means of enforcing conditions, I should be
sorry to avail myself of them. I wait for his lordship's reply."
Lord B. was very much surprised. He wished for an explanation; he bowed
with _hauteur_. Everybody appeared to be in a false position; even he,
Lord B., somehow or another had bowed to a smuggler.
Pickersgill and Stewart went on deck, walking up and down, crossing each
other without speaking, but reminding you of two dogs who both are
anxious to fight, but have been restrained by the voice of their
masters. Corbett followed, and talked in a low tone to Pickersgill;
Stewart went over to leeward to see if the boat was still alongside, but
it had long before returned to the yacht. Miss Ossulton had heard her
brother's voice, but did not come out of the after-cabin; she wished to
be magnificent and, at the same time, she was not sure whether all was
right, Phoebe having informed her that there was nobody with her brother
and Mr Stewart, and that the smugglers still had the command of the
vessel. After a while, Pickersgill and Corbett went down forward, and
returned dressed in the smuggler's clothes, when they resumed their walk
on the deck.
In the mean time, it was dark; the cutter flew along the coast; and the
Needles' lights were on the larboard bow. The conversation between
Cecilia, Mrs Lascelles, and her father, was long.
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