ou will understand that if you find
the Moors have become absolutely hostile, and have a difficulty in
getting at Mr. Logie, you are not to run any risk in trying to
deliver the despatches; as the information you will be able to
obtain will be sufficient for me, without any confirmation from
him."

After further conversation, Bob took his leave of the governor. On
his return home, Carrie was very vexed, when she heard the mission
that Bob had undertaken and, at first, it needed all her husband's
persuasions to prevent her going off to the governor's, to protest
against it.

"Why, my dear, you would make both yourself and Bob ridiculous.
Surely he is of an age, now, to go his own way without petticoat
government. He has already gained great credit, both in his affair
with the privateer, and in fetching in the oranges the other day.
This is far less dangerous. Here he has only got to smuggle himself
in, there he had to bring back something like a ton of oranges. It
is a great honour for the governor to have chosen him. And as to
you opposing it, the idea is absurd!"

"I shall go round to Major Harcourt," Bob said. "Mrs. Harcourt is
terribly anxious about her daughter, and I am sure she will be glad
to send a letter over to her."

"Carrie," Captain O'Halloran said gravely, "I have become a sudden
convert to your opinion regarding this expedition. Suppose that
Bob, instead of coming back, were to carry Amy Harcourt off to
England? It would be terrible! I believe that Mr. Logie, as His
Majesty's consul, could perform the necessary ceremony before they
sailed."

Bob laughed.

"I should doubt whether Mr. Logie would have power to officiate, in
the case of minors. Besides, there is an English church, where the
banns could be duly published. No, I think we must put that off,
Gerald."

Amy Harcourt was the daughter of one of the O'Hallorans' most
intimate friends: and the girl, who was about fifteen years old,
was often at their house with her mother. She had suffered much
from the heat, early in June; and her parents had, at a time when
the Spanish cruisers had somewhat relaxed their vigilance, sent her
across to Tangiers in one of the traders. She was in the charge of
Mrs. Colomb, the wife of an officer of the regiment, who was also
going across for her health. They intended to stay at Tangiers only
for a month, or six weeks; but Mrs. Colomb had become worse, and
was, when the last news came across, too ill to be mo