e."

"Indeed, my dear sir, you are laying me under a tenfold obligation,"
said Mr Marlow. "All our connections are, I believe, in the North, and
in dreary London there is no one with whom I could leave the dear
child."

I don't remember the rest of our conversation. I know that I discussed
a very good dinner; and that same evening we got under weigh and ran
over to Ryde, and my uncle went up to Daisy Cottage. The next morning
my aunt accompanied him on board, and we returned to Portsmouth. She
received little Alice, as I knew she would, most kindly, and before many
hours had passed they became great friends; and, to make a long story
short, Miss Marlow became an inmate for several weeks of Daisy Cottage.

We were lying one day soon after this in Portsmouth Harbour, off Haslar
Creek, ready to start for the westward. It was Sunday. My uncle had
gone over to Ryde, and I was in hopes of getting across in the afternoon
to visit my aunt and her guest. I had turned out in full fig; and while
all the people were below dressing for muster, I walked the deck as
officer of the watch, with my spy-glass under my arm, looking out for
the signal from the flag-ship to make it eight-bells. I felt very
important, but I have reasons to doubt whether I looked proportionably
consequential. All the ships in the harbour and at Spithead ran up
their bunting at the same moment; and I had just belayed our signal
halliards when I saw a boat, crowded with seamen and marines, putting
off from a frigate lying right ahead of us. The tide was running strong
out of the harbour. A young midshipman was at the helm, and he did not
seem to have made due allowance for the strength of the current. The
consequence was that the boat drifted down some way below the intended
place of landing, and while he was putting her head up the harbour to
regain his lost ground, her keel struck the mast of a barge which had
sunk the day before, and which scarcely showed above the water. In an
instant over she went, and the people in her were spilt out into the
eddying, rushing tide-way. Some struck out for the shore, a few clung
on the boat, and others came drifting down helplessly with the current.

So suddenly had the accident occurred, that I had not a moment to
consider what was best to be done, nor to call any one from below.
Fortunately we had a punt alongside. Casting off the painter, I jumped
into her, and shoved off to where three men were struggl