as soon as they were married, they kissed and said good-bye with
breaking hearts."

"Oh, dash it!" said the captain, "Ay'd have managed it better than
that, anyhow."

"But they didn't. The bridegroom sailed away, for the country he was
going to was miles and miles and miles over the sea, and the poor bride
was left at home with her sorrow. But soon afterwards she went to live
with another relation, a dear old man--the best, the kindest, the
tenderest, the jolliest old man in the world. In fact, he had only one
fault, and that was that he sometimes used a bad word."

"Poor old chap!" said the captain. "You mustn't be too hard upon him
for that, Valmai, becos Ay dare say he couldn't help it. P'r'aps you
wouldn't believe it now, but there was a taime when Ay swore like a
trooper; and it grew upon me so much that Ay d--d everything!--even the
milk for breakfast--and Ay'm dashed if Ay could stop it, Valmai. May
poor mother was alive then, and she sez to me one day with tears in her
eyes, 'Tray, may boy, to leave off swearing; it is killing me,' she
sez, with her sweet, gentle voice. So Ay sez to mayself, 'John,' Ay
sez, 'you are a d--d fool. You're killing your mother with your
foolish swears. Pull up short,' sez Ay, 'and tray and faind some other
word that'll do.' So Ay fixed upon 'tarnished,' and Ay'm dashed if may
mother wasn't perfectly satisfayed. It's a grand word! Puts you in
mind of tar and 'tarnal and tarpauling, and lots of shippy things.
'Twas hard to get used to it at first; but 'pon may word now, may dear,
it comes as nat'ral as swearing. But there! go on with the story.
Where were we?"

Valmai was a little bewildered by the captain's reminiscences.

"Well, we had just come to where the girl, or rather the young wife,
had gone to live with her other uncle. Here she would have been as
happy as the day is long, had it not been for the continual sorrow for
her lover."

The captain began to look a little suspicious, but Valmai hastened to
prevent further interruptions.

"But now comes the wonderful part of the story, uncle. A dreadful
storm arose, and a thick fog came on, and the ship in which the
bridegroom sailed was so damaged that she had to put back for repairs.
The young man found lodgings in the town, and what house do you think
he came to? but the very one where the bride lived with her dear old
uncle, and they made up their minds to tell him everything, and to
throw themselves on his