the boy to get the weather gage of Yaller Jack, let alone
the nuns; wont we have a thumping time this night?"

"Why, Teddy, are you going with us? You are the last man I should have
thought to enlist in an expedition of this kind!"

"Ay, ay, Masther Frank, its rather agen my conscience, to be sure; but
it's the skipper's orders, and I alwus goes by that maxum, ''bey
orders if you break owners.'"

"Then the skipper has ordered you to go--"

"Of coorse; in the first place he says that he'll send no man into
danger widout tellin' him of it, the jewel, and then he just stated
the case, and sez he, 'which of yees will go, b'ys?' an' wid that uz
all stipt for'ard. 'What,' sez the owld man, sez he, 'Teddy, I thought
you was a Catholic!' 'Faix! an' I am that, yer honor,' sez I, makin' a
big sign of the cross, 'long life to the Pope and the clargy!' 'It's a
nun we're goin' to abductionize to-night,' sez he, 'I thought you
understood that.' 'I know that, yer honor,' sez I, 'but if you will
jist plaze to order me to go, I can't help meself, and so your own
sowl will be damned, beggin' yer honor's pardon,' sez I, 'and not
mine.' The officers all laughed, and the owld man, sez he, 'Teddy,
you're quite ingenuous!' 'Thank yer honor,' sez I, 'but I'll cotton
to Ichabod Green in that line, since he invinted the new spun-yarn
mill.'"

Soon after sundown the land wind from the south set in smartly, and by
eight o'clock we were not a little fearful lest our kedge might drag.
The captain's gig was brought to the stairs, and the party chosen for
the expedition took their places, the first mate and ship's cousin and
six stout seamen, well armed. Stewart was very nervous and silent; the
only remark he made after we left the ship was when we swept by the
end of the mole.

It was just nine o'clock when we hauled into the shade of the
summer-house and its vines at the foot of Mr. Stowe's garden. I was
commissioned to go to the house while the rest staid by the boat. On
the stairs of the back verandah I met Mary Stowe.

"Is it you, Frank?" she asked.

"Ay, ay; is Cousin Clara here?"

"Oh, yes! in Ellen's room, and the Superior is in the parlor with
mother. Ellen has been terribly sick, but she was well enough to
whisper just now, 'Give Frank my best love.'"

"Here, Mary," said I, "give her this kiss a thousand times."

"Oh, heavens! what a pretty one! But I must go and send Sister Agatha
to you; we've got a hard part to act when her