them away and had
found my way on deck, Captain Hood was back again on board his own ship,
and in conference with the first lieutenant in the former's cabin. It
was not long before the first luff reappeared--with such a delighted
expression upon his face that we at once felt certain he had heard
pleasant news, and very soon it came out that I had brought, among my
despatches, the order for the "Juno" to return home and pay off.

"Hurrah for old England!" was now the cry; everybody was in the highest
of spirits, for there was literally nothing to do but up anchor and
away, which was promptly done, so that I scarcely spent half a dozen
hours in the port of Genoa, the "Juno" sailing on the evening of the day
on which the "Vigilant" had arrived.

We were nearly a month in reaching as far as Gibraltar; but after
getting fairly through the Gut and round Saint Vincent we made short
miles of it, the girls having taken hold of the tow-rope, as Jack says,
and eventually arrived at Spithead without the occurrence of any
circumstance worth recording. The ship was paid off next day, and I was
enabled to return once more, after an absence of nearly two years, to
the paternal roof.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

WESTWARD HO!

I found all hands at home in the best of health, and received of course
a hearty welcome from them. My father appeared to be exactly as I had
left him, not a day older; but my mother had gathered an extra wrinkle
or two about the comers of her eyes, I thought, and the grey hairs were
mustering pretty strongly. Poor soul! all the stress and strain fell
upon her; it was she who had all the planning, the cutting, and
contriving to make both ends meet; and it was no wonder if she showed
here and there a scar received in the tough battle. The girls showed
the greatest alteration, and, I may add, improvement of appearance, for
they had developed from pretty girls into most lovely women--at least
_I_ thought so.

I had been home a fortnight when my uncle, Sir Peregrine Portfire, to
whom I had written shortly after my arrival, came down, and took up his
quarters with us. Life under the old roof-tree was very quiet and
uneventful, and nothing worthy of note occurred for the first six weeks
of my stay. I was taking matters quietly for a while, as I thought I
was justified in doing, when, about the end of the time I have named, a
chaise drove up to the door one evening, about half an hour before the
appearance of