at the
title-page, on which was written her mother's name by that beloved
parent's hand: "My dear mother's books! how could I think of leaving
them behind, or any thing that was ever hers!" She closed her drawers
after having carelessly thrown aside, for "sea-service," the first
dresses that came to hand--her whole thoughts occupied in devising means
to save what, just at that moment, seemed of vastly superior
consequence. The books, by Morton's advice, were subsequently carried,
two or three at a time, to Juanita's house, and thence by him conveyed
carefully on board the Albatross, and safely deposited in his chest.
Having settled this affair so much to her satisfaction, she used the
same means to transport the greater part of her most valuable clothes to
the same place, till the unfortunate capture of her lover made it
necessary to encumber herself and attendant with the remainder, upon the
night of her elopement and their escape.

I pride myself not a little in being particular in an affair of such
delicacy. Some writers wake their heroines at dead of night, drag them,
half drest, out of a third story chamber window, lead them through a
thousand perils by flood, fire, and field, till the mere matter-of-fact,
common sense reader is convinced that the poor girls had neither a dry
thread nor a clean one upon their persons; and no "change of raiment" so
much as hinted at. I scorn so ungallant an action as to compel _my_
heroine to make a voyage nearly round the world, or within thirty
degrees of longitude of it, in such a draggle-tailed and sluttish
condition; so that you see, madam, I have made this digression for the
sole purpose of setting your mind at ease on the score of Isabella's
gowns, frocks, hose, and those other articles of the "inner temple"
whose names I dare not even think of, or whose existence it would be
impolite and indelicate to hint at.

The alarming fact of his niece's absence the governor fortunately did
not learn till morning, or rather till late in the forenoon, he having
gone towards the guard-house before his daughters visited their cousin's
chamber. When arrived there, Don Gaspar was convinced, by examination of
the phial, that the soldiers were under the influence of a most
powerful opiate; and, furthermore, that the prisoners had obtained that
opiate and the wine that it was administered in, from some person out of
the prison who had access to them; and he immediately vowed vengeance
the mo