ssed, and quiet in
their manners, while the house seemed wonderfully neat and fresh,
greatly differing from the appearance of Ballinahone. It was the first
time in my life that I had ever been in an English house. When
Nettleship talked of his mother's cottage, I had expected to see
something like the residence of an Irish squireen. Both inside and out
the house was the same,--the garden full of sweetly-scented flowers, the
gravel walks without a weed in them, and the hedges carefully trimmed.
Then when Tom and I were shown to the room we were to occupy, I was
struck by the white dimity hangings to the beds, the fresh curtains and
blinds, the little grate polished to perfection, and a bouquet of
flowers on the dressing-table. Tom was not so impressed as I was,
though he said it reminded him of his own home. Miss Fanny was
considerably younger than Nettleship, a fair-haired, blue-eyed,
sweetly-smiling, modest-looking girl, who treated Tom and me as if we
were her brothers.

Nettleship and Tom accompanied me into Plymouth each morning, that I
might learn if any vessel was sailing for Cork, and thus be saved the
journey to Bristol, with which place and Ireland, as there was a
considerable amount of trade carried on, I was told that I should have
no difficulty in obtaining a vessel across. I was so happy where I was,
however, that I was less in a hurry than might have been supposed. I
had no want of funds for the purpose, for I had received my pay; and a
good share of prize-money for the vessels we had captured was also due
to me, though, as Nettleship told me, I must not count upon getting that
in a hurry.

At last, one morning, on going to a shipbroker, who had promised to let
me know of any vessel putting into Plymouth on her way to Cork, he told
me that one had just arrived, and would sail again in a few hours. I at
once went on board the _Nancy_ schooner, and engaged a passage for Larry
and myself, and then hurried back to wish Mrs Nettleship and her
daughter good-bye. My old shipmates returned with me, and Larry carried
our few traps over his shoulder, as I had not possessed a chest since
mine was lost in the _Liffy_.

"Good-bye, Paddy, old fellow," cried Nettleship. "If I get appointed to
a ship I'll let you know, and you must exert your interest to join her;
and I hope Tom also will find his way aboard. We have been four years
together without so much as a shadow of a quarrel; and if we were to
spend