t seemed to me that he had never prayed
at such length and to so little purpose. I thought it especially
needless that he should petition, for the space of full five minutes,
for the fruitfulness of our flocks, for by this time the ewes had all
dropped their lambs, and not one of them was a weakling.

Nevertheless it was over at last, and I quickly lighted the candle and
conducted my cousin upstairs. He was always my bedfellow on the
occasions of his visits to Brandon, and never spared to keep me awake
as long as it pleased him to talk to me.

As soon as we were snugly settled in bed, Rupert, as I had expected,
laid aside his reserve.

"Now, Cousin Athelstane, what do you suppose it is that has brought me
here?"

I could only shake my head in sign of pure ignorance.

"I will tell you. I have come here to offer you a berth on board my
ship, the _Fair Maid_, now lying in Yarmouth river."

My breath was fairly taken away by this announcement. All the dreams I
had cherished for so long seemed suddenly to have put on substance,
and what was yesterday a thousand miles away had come at one word
within my reach. Yet I could only stammer out--

"The _Fair Maid_? Is that the ship in which you went to the East
Indies? And is she bound thither again?"

Rupert nodded his head.

"She sails as soon as ever she can be fitted out, and we are shipping
the bravest fellows in all Norfolk for our crew. A word in your ear,
cousin: we sail with letters of marque against the Frenchmen, and it
will go hard if you or I come back with less than a thousand pounds to
our share."

"What! Is the _Fair Maid_ a privateer?"

I spoke in some dismay, for in those days privateers bore a bad name.
They were commissioned only to prey upon the commerce of such
countries as we were at war with, but it was currently believed that
they did not always look too closely at the flag of a vessel which
fell in their way, and that if peace was proclaimed while they were
abroad on a cruise they took care not to hear of it till such time as
suited their convenience. Among good men, therefore, they were
esteemed little better than pirates, and I could understand why my
cousin had been so chary in speaking about his voyage to my father.

"You needn't look so scared, youngster," he said, noting my behaviour.
"Our commission was signed by his Majesty King George himself; and
even the Frenchmen we took had nothing to complain of beyond the loss
of their proper