rce
of very great mutual satisfaction. He was a confirmed old bachelor,
with a perfect horror of women and children, and by his persistent
avoidance of both had gained for himself a character for moroseness and
ill-temper. My mother, however, happened to be somewhat of a favourite
with him--if a man possessed of such an unpromising character could be
considered capable of so much warmth of feeling as to justify the
expression--and having, for her sake, interested himself so far as to
launch me in my profession, curiosity prompted him to keep me in view.
He was greatly gratified to see my name appear in connexion with the
capture of the "Sans-Culotte;" and when the "Scourge" arrived in
Plymouth so speedily with her second prize, and he heard of my being
wounded, he posted down from town, determined to see Captain Brisac for
himself, and ascertain by actual word of mouth how I had behaved. My
kind skipper was so lavish with his praises that Sir Peregrine was in an
ecstasy of delight; and from that time he became a different man; in
consequence, I presume, of his having stumbled upon an object which
excited within him a genuine interest. During the week of my stay with
him in town he went everywhere with me, though his normal condition was
that of martyrdom to gout; and on my receiving my appointment to the
"Juno" he insisted on presenting me with an entire new rig-out from stem
to stern; including a very fine and powerful telescope, the best sextant
that could be bought for money, and one or two other matters of use in
my profession. It had been intimated to me that, in consideration of my
scarcely-healed wound, I need not join my ship until the last moment;
but Sir Peregrine insisted on my going down at once, in order that I
might not lose the chance which the fitting-out of the ship presented
for increasing my knowledge of practical seamanship. "It is not that I
am tired of your company, Ralph: do not think that, my dear boy," he
earnestly said; "but you have now an opportunity which may perhaps never
occur again for acquiring knowledge which is only to be gained in this
way; and it is a species of knowledge which may at any moment be of the
utmost service to you. You will have to endure a week or two of
discomfort, but that is a trifling matter compared with the lasting
advantage which you will thereby obtain, and you will live to bless the
day when your old uncle hurried you away from the pleasures of town to
th