had been
married--hoping, if it was true, that my own was the first and the
lawful union. They told me, for ten years, but as they had no family,
his wife usually accompanied him on all his voyages. So she had now gone
with him to Calcutta."

"I suspect the people in that office were pretty well acquainted with
the handsome skipper's 'ways and manners,' and that they understood your
case at once."

"I do really believe they did," said Rose; "for they looked at me so
strangely, and one man, who seemed to be a porter or a messenger, or
something of that sort, said something about a sailor having a wife at
every port."

"So after that you came back to New York, and did, at last, what you
should have done at first--you wrote to me."

"There was no one on earth to whom, under the peculiar circumstances, I
could have written but to you. Oh, Fabian! to whom else could I appeal?"

"And did I not respond promptly to your call?"

"Indeed you did, like a true knight, as you were. And I did not deceive
you by any false story, Fabian. I told you all--even thing--how basely I
had been deceived--and you soothed and consoled me, and told me that,
as I had not sinned intentionally, I had not sinned at all; and you
brought me with you to the State capital, and established me comfortably
there."

"But you were very ungrateful, my dear. You took everything; gave
nothing."

"I would have given you myself in marriage, but you would not have me.
You did not think me good enough for you."

"But, bless my wig, child! for your age you had been too much married
already--a great deal too much married! You got into the habit of
getting married."

"Oh! how merciless you are to me!" Rose said, beginning to weep.

"No; I am not. I have never been unkind to you--as yet. I don't know
what I may be! My course toward you will depend very much upon yourself.
Have I not always hitherto been your best friend? Ungrateful,
unresponsive though you were at that time, did I not procure for you an
invitation from my mother to accompany her party on that long,
delightful summer trip?"

"I had an impression at the time that I owed the invitation to your
father, who suggested to your mother to write and ask me to accompany
them."

Mr. Fabian looked surprised, and said--for he never hesitated to tell a
fib:

"Oh! that was quite a mistake. It was I myself who suggested the
invitation. I thought it would be agreeable to you. Was it not I myself
who