by the milliner in a new bonnet, dedicated the morning to
me, with a most praiseworthy degree of self-denial and benevolence. I
read the signature some half-dozen times over, and wondered what meaning
in her own heart she ascribed to the words, 'Yours, Julia.'

'Now for O'Grady,' said I, breaking the seal of the Major's envelope.

'My dear Jack,--I was sitting on a hencoop, now pondering on my
fortunes, now turning to con over the only book on board--a very erudite
work on naval tactics, with directions how "to moor a ship in the
Downs"--when a gun came booming over the sea, and a frigate with certain
enigmatical colours flying at her main-top compelled the old troop-ship
we were in to back her topsails and lie to. (We were then steering
straight for Madeira, in latitude------, longitude the same--our
intention being, with the aid of Providence, to reach Quebec at some
remote period of the summer, to join our service companies in Canada.)
Having obeyed the orders of H.M.S. _Blast_, to wait until she overtook
us--a measure that nearly cost us two of our masts and the cook's
galley, we not being accustomed to stand still, it seemed--a boat came
alongside with the smallest bit of a midshipman I ever looked at sitting
in the stern-sheets, with orders for us to face about, left shoulder
forward, and march back to England, where, having taken in the second
battalion of the Twenty-eighth, we were to start for Lisbon.

'I need not tell you what pleasure the announcement afforded us,
delighted as we were to exchange tomahawks and bowie-knives for
civilised warfare, even against more formidable foes. Behold us then in
full sail back to old England, which we reached within a fortnight--only
to touch, however, for the Twenty-eighth were most impatiently expecting
us; and having dedicated three days to taking in water and additional
stores, and once more going through the horrible scene of leave-taking
between soldiers and their wives, we sailed again. I have little
inclination to give you the detail, which newspapers would beat me
hollow in, of our march, or where we first came up with the French. A
smart affair took place at daybreak, in which your humble servant, to
use the appropriate phrase, "distinguished" himself--egad! I had almost
said "extinguished"; for I was shot through the side, losing part of
that conjugal portion of the human anatomy called a rib, and sustaining
several other minor damages, that made me appear to t