. Roberts, sir; direct the apology to herself."

"Well, then, what I wanted to say, Mrs. Roberts, was, that all the
gold, silver, and brass in his majesty's dominions--(God bless him!
parenthetice, from Sam)--couldn't purchase you, an' would fall far short
of your value."

"Well done--thank you, Dunphy--thank you, honest old Dunphy; shake
hands. He's a fine old fellow, Beck, isn't he, eh?"

"I'm very much obliged to you, Mr. Dunphy; but you overrate me a great
deal too much," replied Mrs. Roberts.

"No such thing, Beck; you're wrong there, for once; the thing couldn't
be done--by fife and drum! it couldn't; and no man has a better right to
know that than myself--and I say it."

Sam, like all truly brave men, never boasted of his military exploits,
although he might well have done so. On the contrary, it was a subject
which he studiously avoided, and on which those who knew his modesty as
well as his pride never ventured. He usually cut short such as referred
to it, with:

"Never mind that, my friend; I did my duty, and that was all; and so did
every man in the British army, or I wouldn't be here to say so. Pass the
subject."

Sam and Dunphy, at all events, spent a pleasant evening; at least,
beyond question, Sam did. As for Dunphy, he seemed occasionally relieved
by hearing Sam's warm and affectionate allusions to his son; and, on
the other hand, he appeared, from time to time, to fall into a mood that
indicated a state of feeling between gloom and reflection.

"It's extraordinary, Mr. Roberts," he observed, after awakening from one
of these reveries; "it looks as if Providence was in it."

"God Almighty's in it, sir,--didn't I say so? and under him, Sam
Roberts. Sir, I observed that boy closely from the beginning. He
reminded me, and you too, Beck, didn't he, of him that--that--we
lost"--here he paused a moment, and placed his hand upon his heart,
as if to feel for something there that awoke touching and melancholy
remembrances; whilst his wife, on the other hand, unpinned the locket,
and having kissed it, quietly let fall a few tears; after which she
restored it to its former position. Sam cleared his voice a little, and
then proceeded:

"Yes; I could never look at the one without thinking of the other; but
'twas all the heart of man. In a week's time he could fish as well as
myself, and in a short time began to teach me. 'Gad! he used to take
the rod out of my hand with so much kindness, so gently and
re