sh twenty-four bearing down upon a Frenchman of fifty
guns, that she can only haul her colours down and rig out gangway
ladders--when, bless me and keep me! I am carried by surprise, and
driven under hatchways, and if there is a guinea in my hold, it flies
into the enemy's locker! If it happened only once, I should think
nothing of it. But when I know exactly what is coming, and have
double-shotted every gun, and set up hammock-nettings, and taken
uncommon care to have the weather-gage, 'tis the Devil, Lady
Scudamore--excuse me, madam--'tis the Devil to a ditty-bag that I have
her at my mercy. And yet it always comes to money out of pocket, madam!"

"She certainly has a great power over gentlemen"--Blyth's mother smiled
demurely, as if she were sorry to confess it; "but she is exceedingly
young, Sir Charles, and every allowance must be made for her."

"And by the Lord Harry, she gets it, madam. She takes uncommonly good
care of that. But what is the one thing you mentioned that would prevent
you from coming back to us with pleasure?"

"I scarcely like to speak of it. But it is about that self-same Dolly.
She is not fond of advice, and she knows how quick she is, and that
makes her resent a word from slower people. She has taken it into her
head, I fear, that I am here as a restraint upon her; a sort of lady
spy, a duenna, a dictatress, all combined in one, and all unpleasant.
This often makes me fancy that I have no right to be here. And then your
sweet Faith comes, and all is smooth again."

"Dolly has the least little possible touch of the vixen about her. I
have found it out lately," said the Admiral, as if he were half doubtful
still; "Nelson told me so, and I was angry with him. But I believe he
was right, as he generally is. His one eye sees more than a score of
mine would. But, my dear madam, if that is your only objection to coming
back to us, or rather to my daughters, I beg you not to let it weigh a
feather's weight with you. Or, at any rate, enhance the obligation to
us, by putting it entirely on one side. Dolly has the very finest heart
in all the world; not so steady perhaps as Faith's, nor quite so fair to
other people, but wonderfully warm, ma'am, and as sound as--as a roach."

Lady Scudamore could not help laughing a little, and she hoped for her
son's sake that this account was true. Her gratitude and good-will to
the Admiral, as well as her duty to her son, made her give the promise
sought for; and