ps his conscience tormented him not
a little, for his previously harsh conduct had been the original cause
of the lad's illness. So he gave up all faith in his own medical skill,
and resigned the chest, and all its pernicious contents, into Flora's
safe keeping.

The lad did ultimately recover from the effects of the Captain's
doctoring, but he was unable to do much during the rest of the voyage,
and crawled about the deck like a living skeleton.

If the Captain took little notice of him, he never treated him, or
suffered others to treat him, with the brutality which had marked his
former conduct towards him.

CHAPTER VI.

THE LOST JACKET, AND OTHER MATTERS.

The routine of life on board ship, especially on board such a small
vessel as the brig _Anne_, was very dull and monotonous, when once out
of sight of land. The weather, however, continued cloudless; and though,
after the first week, the favourable wind which had wafted them so far
over their watery path in safety deserted them, and never again filled
their sails, or directed them in a straight course, they had no cause to
complain. The captain grumbled at the prevalence of westerly winds; the
mates grumbled, and the sailors grumbled at having to tack so often; yet
the ship slowly and steadily continued to traverse the vast Atlantic,
with the blue sky above, and the deep green sea below, both unruffled by
cloud or storm. The health of both passengers and crew continued
excellent; the prentice lad, Monro, and Mrs. Lyndsay's maid, Hannah,
forming the only exceptions. As to the latter, Flora soon discovered
that her illness was all apocryphal. She chose to lie in her berth all
day, where she was fed from the cabin table, and duly dosed with
brandy-and-water by the Captain, who did not attempt to conceal his
partiality for this worthless woman. At night she was always well enough
to get up and dance till after midnight on the deck with the passengers
and sailors. Her conduct became a matter of scandal to the whole ship,
and Mr. Collins complained of his brother-in-law's unprincipled
behaviour in no measured terms. "But she's a bad woman, an infamous
woman! Mrs. Lyndsay. You had better part with her the moment you reach
land."

This Flora would gladly have done. But they had laid out so much money
in her passage and outfit, that she did not like to incur such a heavy
loss. She still hoped, that when removed from the bad influence of the
Captain, she woul