Part 8 (2/2)

I saw tears in her eyes nextas we parted Her father said 'Good-bye' so kindly that my whole heart went out to him on the spot

'I'm not sorry I came,' I said; 'and, sir,' I added, 'as far as you and I are concerned, the feud is at an end?'

'Yes, yes; and better so And,' he continued, 'hter bidsto think about you very often, and is so sorrowful you poor lads should have to go away to a foreign land to seek your fortune while we remain at Coila That is the drift of it, but I fear I have not said it prettily enough to please Irene Good-bye'

We had found fine weather at Coila, and we brought it back with us to London There was no hitch this ti, even before breakfast The last person to co across the plank gangith strides like a ca or soald and I soon noticed two little legs dangling fro out of the other It was his ained the deck, and led her away amidshi+ps somewhere, and there the two disappeared Presently Moncrieff came back alone and shook hands with us in the most friendly way

'I've just disposed of oods and he had sold her 'I've just disposed of the poor dear creature, and ain till we're across the bay'

'You did not take the lady below?'

'There's no'all I can to make her one No; I didn't take her below Fact is, we have state apartht say, for I've rented the second lieutenant's and purser's cabins There they are, cheek-by-jowl, as cosy as wrens'-nests, just abaft the cook's galley amidshi+ps yonder'

'Well,' I said, 'I hope your e'

'Hurrah!' shouted the Scot; 'we're off at last! Now for a fair wind and a clear sea to the shores of the Silver West I'll run and tellthe sun sank on the western waves with a crilory that spoke of fine weather to follow We were steaive us soh my brothers and I had never been to sea before, we had been used to roughing it in storms around the coast and on Loch Coila, and probably this may account for our immunity from that terror of the ocean, _mal-de-mer_ As for aunt, she was an excellent sailor The saloon, ent below to dinner, was hted, and very hoeon, and one lieutenant The captain was president, while the doctor occupied the chair of _vice_ Both looked thorough sailors, and both appeared as happy as kings There see between the pair, and their reood hu dinner

The doctor had been the first to enter, and he caht hand Now aunt was the only young lady aers, and she certainly had dressedher--so did the doctor, but so also did the captain

When he entered he gave his surgeon a comical kind of a look and shook his head

'Walked to ard of me, I see!' he said 'Miss M'Crimman,' he added, 'we don't, as a rule, keep particular seats at table in this shi+p'

'Don't believe a word he says, Miss M'Cri! He never is serious when he smiles like that Steward, what is the number of this chair?'

'Fifteen, sir'

'Fifteen, Miss M'Cri, observe, is Gordon tartan, green and black and orange'

'Miss M'Crimman,' the captain put in, as if the doctor had not said a word, 'to-, for exaht'

'Honour, indeed!' laughed the doctor

'The honour to sit on ht You will find I can tell much better stories than old Conserve-of-roses there; and I feel certain you will not sit anywhere else all the voyage!'

'Ah, stay onelittle Spaniard, who had just entered and seated hi lady weel not always sit dere, or dere, for soht hand, for exah at these words, and after this, every one seemed on theto serve every one else first and hiood result that accrues fro, and I have hardly ever yet known a citizen of the world who could be called selfish

There were three other ladies at table to-night, each of whoh they were all in what Dr Spinks afterwards terood captain really vied with each other in paying kindly attention to their wants

So pleasantly did this our first dinner on board pass over that by the time we had risen from our seats we felt, one and all, as if we had known each other for a very long ti concert One of the ly well, and the little Spanish gentles, I feel sure,' he said to s,' I answered

'And the harp--you have him?'