! How could she have come here?"

"By all the saints who pray for us--dearly as I prize them, I would give
up my ship and my commission, that this could be undone."

As O'Brien hung over her, the tears from his eyes fell upon her face,
while I bathed it with the water I had brought from the dressing-room.
I knew who it must be, although I had never seen her. It was the girl
to whom O'Brien had professed love, to worm out the secret of the
exchange of my uncle's child; and as I beheld the scene, I could not
help saying to myself, "Who now will assert that evil may be done that
good may come?" The poor girl showed symptoms of recovering, and
O'Brien waved his hand to me, saying, "Leave us, Peter, and see that no
one comes in."

I remained nearly an hour at the cabin-door, by the sentry, and
prevented many from entering, when O'Brien opened the door, and
requested me to order his gig to be manned, and then to come in. The
poor girl had evidently been weeping bitterly, and O'Brien was much
affected.

"All is arranged, Peter; you must go on shore with her, and not leave
her till you see her safe off by the night coach. Do me that favour,
Peter--you ought indeed," continued he, in a low voice, "for you have
been partly the occasion of this."

I shook O'Brien's hand, and made no answer--the boat was reported ready,
and the girl followed me with a firm step. I pulled on shore, saw her
safe in the coach, without asking her any question, and then returned on
board.

"Come on board, sir," said I, entering the cabin with my hat in my hand,
and reporting myself according to the regulations of the service.

"Thank you," replied O'Brien: "shut the door, Peter. Tell me, how did
she behave?--what did she say?"

"She never spoke, and I never asked her a question. She seemed to be
willing to do as you had arranged."

"Sit down, Peter. I never felt more unhappy, or more disgusted with
myself in all my life. I feel as if I never could be happy again. A
sailor's life mixes him up with the worst part of the female sex, and we
do not know the real value of the better. I little thought when I was
talking nonsense to that poor girl, that I was breaking one of the
kindest hearts in the world, and sacrificing the happiness of one who
would lay down her existence for me, Peter. Since you have been gone,
it's twenty times that I've looked in the glass just to see whether I
don't look like a villain. But by the blood of St. P