d to me, which troubled me greatly, and, looking sadly and
kindly at me, said,--

'If you take this boy of mine, madam,' said he, 'you take the son of a
poor, despised, aged man, who can give you and him nothing but a
father's blessing, coupled with his burdensome infirmity to care for
and tend, till death remove it;' words which loosed my tongue
straightway to say I should deem such an office a pride and honour.

'That is not all,' said Mr. Truelocke. 'Harry hath chosen to embrace a
dangerous wandering way of life, neither very glorious nor very
profitable. And his bride will have to spend many a sad lonely hour,
while her husband is tossing on the seas, and she sitting trembling at
home, deprived of his protection and doubtful of his fate.'

'That's a very odd way of recommending my suit, father,' said Harry, a
little uneasily.

'Nay, I have not done my recommendation,' replied Mr. Truelocke; 'let me
say all. You should further consider, Mistress Lucy, that this son of
mine is so light of spirit and careless of speech, that some will say he
has no constancy of disposition. I will not so far slander him, for I
know him better; but this I must say, for it is truth, that he has not
yet that confirmed and settled piety I should desire in the husband of
mine own daughter, if I had one. Now I have laid before you all the
disadvantages of the match, it is for you to say if you will have it.'

I wonder if ever a love-suit was so urged before? It made me heartily
angry to hear poor Harry so disparaged to his face, and to see him sit
so downcast, a cloud of angry colour mounting to his very forehead. I
suppose pity for him killed all my bashfulness, for I stood up, and said
passionately, I thought no worse of a man for having the bold
adventurous nature which loved seafaring; that was a noble trade, I
said, and our mariners the very flower of England; and as for light
spirit and merry speech, they were but flowers covering a rock, for
steadfast as a rock was the heart under that gay show.

'And if you speak of piety,' I wound up, 'I am sure Harry hath as much
of it as I have, at least; he has some faith, some love, and so I hope
have I; but we will help each other up to better things; and here is my
hand on it if he will take it.' With that I held out my hand to him, and
he sprang up and grasped it in both his, looking exultingly at his
father; it was a pleasure to see how his face had changed all in a
moment. Mr. Trueloc