afore long! A set of lazy thieves, no less. The heavens be my bed, but I
never thought I 'd see the day they 'd be bringing a 'naygur' to Ireland
to teach us music!"

This singular apostrophe, which seemed to fill the measure of her woe,
so far attracted Linton's curiosity to comprehend it, that he opened the
window and looked out, and at once discovered, by the direction of the
eyes of the circle, the object of the sarcasm. He was a well-built man,
of a dark swarthy complexion and immense beard and mustache, who sat on
a stone bench before the door, occupied in arranging the strings of his
guitar. The air of unmoved tranquillity showed that he did not suspect
himself to be the butt of any sarcasm, and he pursued his task with a
composure that vouched for his ignorance of the language.

[Illustration: 392]

"Who is our friend?" said Linton, addressing the coachman, and pointing
to the musician.

"We calls him Robinson Crusoe, sir," replied the other; "we took him up
on the road from Limerick. We never seed him afore."

"So, then, he doesn't belong to our force. I really had begun to fear
that Mr. Gunter had pushed enlistment too far."

Meanwhile the stranger, attracted by the voice, looked up, and seeing
Linton, immediately removed his cap, with an air of quiet courtesy that
was not lost upon the shrewd observer to whom it was tendered.

"You are a sailor, I perceive?" said Tom, as he walked out in front of
the inn. The other shook his head dubiously.

"I was asking," said Linton, changing his language to French, "if you
had been a sailor?"

"Yes, sir," replied he, again removing his cap, "a sailor from Trieste."

"And how came you here?"

"Our vessel was lost off the Blasquets, sir, on Wednesday night. We
were bound for Bristol with fruit from Sicily, and caught in a gale; we
struck, and all were lost, except myself and another, now in hospital in
the large city yonder."

"Were you a petty officer, or a common seaman?" said linton, who had
been scanning with keen eye the well-knit frame and graceful ease of the
speaker.

"A common sailor, sir," rejoined he, modestly.

"And how comes it that you are a musician, friend?" asked Linton,
shrewdly.

"Every one is in my country, sir--at least, with such humble skill as I
possess."

"What good fortune it was to have saved your guitar from shipwreck!"
rejoined Linton, with an incredulous twinkle of his gray eyes.

"I did not do so, sir," said the sailor, w