ve me credit."

"Certainly, if you do that," replied Agnes.

"Oblige me, by showing me the palm of your hand."

Agnes extended her little hand, and Jack felt so very polite, that he
was nearly kissing it. However, he restrained himself, and examining
the lines:

"That you were educated in Spain--that you arrived here but two months
ago--that you were captured and released by the English, your mother has
already told me; but to prove to you that I knew all that, I must now be
more particular. You were in a ship mounting fourteen guns--was it not
so?"

Donna Agnes nodded her head.

"I never told the signor that," cried Donna Clara. "She was taken by
surprise in the night, and there was no fighting. The next morning the
English burst open the cabin door; your uncle and your cousin fired
their pistols."

"Holy Virgin!" cried Agnes, with surprise.

"The English officer was a young man, not very good-looking."

"There you are wrong, signor; he was very handsome."

"There is no accounting for taste, signora; you were frightened out of
your wits, and with your cousin you crouched down in the corner of the
cabin. Let me examine that little line closer--you had--yes, it's no
mistake, you had very little clothes on."

Agnes tore away her hand and covered her face.

"E vero, e vero; Holy Jesus! how could you know that?"

Of a sudden Agnes looked at our hero, and after a minute appeared to
recognise him.

"Oh, mother, 'tis he--I recollect now, 'tis he!"

"Who, my child?" replied Donna Clara, who had been struck dumb with
Jack's astonishing power of fortune-telling.

"The officer who captured us, and was so kind."

Jack burst out into laughter, not to be controlled for some minutes, an
then acknowledged that she had discovered him.

"At all events, Donna Agnes," said he at last, "acknowledge that, ragged
as I am, I have seen you in a much greater deshabille."

Agnes sprang up and took to her heels, that she might hide her
confusion, and at the same time go to her father and tell him who he had
as his guest.

Although Don Rebiera had not yet finished his narrative, this
announcement of Agnes, who ran in breathless to communicate it,
immediately brought all the parties together, and Jack received their
thanks.

"I little thought," said the Don, "that I should have been so doubly
indebted to you, sir. Command my services as you please, both of you.
My sons are at Palermo, and I trust you will allow them