d nineteen, who were
finishing their education in the army. Jack asked them to dinner, and
they and our hero soon became inseparable. They took him to all the
theatres, the conversaziones of all the nobility, and, as Jack lost his
money with good humour, and was a very handsome fellow, he was
everywhere well received and was made much of: many ladies made love to
him, but Jack was only very polite, because he thought more and more of
Agnes every day. Three weeks passed away like lightning, and neither
Jack nor Gascoigne thought of going back. At last, one fine day, H.M.
frigate _Aurora_ anchored in the bay, and Jack and Gascoigne, who were
at a party at the Duke of Pentaro's, met with the captain of the
_Aurora_, who was also invited. The duchess introduced them to Captain
Tartar, who, imagining them, from their being in plain clothes, to be
young Englishmen of fortune on their travels, was very gracious and
condescending. Jack was so pleased with his urbanity that he requested
the pleasure of his company to dinner the next day: Captain Tartar
accepted the invitation, and they parted, shaking hands, with many
expressions of pleasure in having made his acquaintance. Jack's party
was rather large, and the dinner sumptuous. The Sicilian gentlemen did
not drink much wine, but Captain Tartar liked his bottle, and although
the rest of the company quitted the table to go to a ball given that
evening by the Marquesa Novara, Jack was too polite not to sit it out
with the captain: Gascoigne closed his chair to Jack's, who, he was
afraid, being a little affected with the wine, would "let the cat out of
the bag."

The captain was amazingly entertaining. Jack told him how happy he
should be to see him at Forest Hill, which property the captain
discovered to contain six thousand acres of land, and also that Jack was
an only son; and Captain Tartar was quite respectful when he found that
he was in such very excellent company. The captain of the frigate
inquired of Jack what brought him out here, and Jack, whose prudence was
departing, told him that he came in his Majesty's ship _Harpy_.
Gascoigne gave Jack a nudge, but was of no use, for as the wine got into
Jack's brain, so did his notions of equality.

"Oh! Wilson gave you a passage; he's an old friend of mine."

"So he is of ours," replied Jack; "he's a devilish good sort of a
fellow, Wilson."

"But where have you been since you came out?" inquired Captain Tartar.