him to sea, to keep him out of harm's way in some
love affair; and you may remember that while he was with the admiral, or
_Captain_ Bluewater, as he was then, I was one of the lieutenants.
Although poor Jack was a soldier and in the guards, and he was four or
five years my senior, he took a fancy to me, and we became intimate.
_He_ understood Latin, better than he did his own interests."

"In what did he fail?--Bluewater was never very communicative to me
about that brother."

"There was a private marriage, and cross guardians, and the usual
difficulties. In the midst of it all, poor John fell in battle, as you
know, and his widow followed him to the grave, within a month or two.
'Twas a sad story all round, and I try to think of it as little as
possible."

"A private marriage!" repeated Sir Gervaise, slowly. "Are you quite sure
of _that_? I don't think Bluewater is aware of that circumstance; at
least, I never heard him allude to it. Could there have been any issue?"

"No one can know it better than myself, as I helped to get the lady off,
and was present at the ceremony. That much I _know_. Of issue, I should
think there was none; though the colonel lived a year after the
marriage. How far the admiral is familiar with all these circumstances I
cannot say, as one would not like to introduce the particulars of a
private marriage of a deceased brother, to his commanding officer."

"I am glad there was no issue, Greenly--particular circumstances make me
glad of that. But we will change the discourse, as these family
disasters make one melancholy; and a melancholy dinner is like
ingratitude to Him who bestows it."

The conversation now grew general, and in due season, in common with the
feast, it ended. After sitting the usual time, the guests retired. Sir
Gervaise then went on deck, and paced the poop for an hour, looking
anxiously ahead, in quest of the French signal; and, failing of
discovering them, he was fain to seek his berth out of sheer fatigue.
Before he did this, however, the necessary orders were given; and that
to call him, should any thing out of the common track occur, was
repeated no less than four times.

CHAPTER XXI.

"Roll on, thou deep and dark-blue ocean--roll
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain;
Man marks the earth with ruin--his control
Stops with the shore;--upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed."

CHILDE HAROLD.

It was bro