inary
proposition? At first, no doubt, as Lady Anne looked upon the advances
of Richard. She would be startled, perhaps shocked. What then? She could
not help feeling flattered at such an offer from him,--him, William
Murray Bradshaw, the rising young man of his county, at her feet, his
eyes melting with the love he would throw into them, his tones subdued
to their most sympathetic quality, and all those phrases on his
lips which every day beguile women older and more discreet than this
romantic, long-imprisoned girl, whose rash and adventurous enterprise
was an assertion of her womanhood and her right to dispose of herself as
she chose. He had not lived to be twenty-five years old without knowing
his power with women. He believed in himself so thoroughly, that his
very confidence was a strong promise of success.

3. In case all his entreaties, arguments, and offers made no impression,
should he make use of that supreme resource, not to be employed save
in extreme need, but which was of a nature, in his opinion, to shake a
resolution stronger than this young girl was like to oppose to it? That
would be like Christian's coming to his weapon called All-prayer, he
said to himself, with a smile that his early readings of Bunyan should
have furnished him an image for so different an occasion. The question
was one he could not settle till the time came,--he must leave it to the
instinct of the moment.

The next morning found him early waking after a night of feverish
dreams. He dressed himself with more than usual care, and walked down to
the wharf where the Swordfish was moored. The ship had left the wharf,
and was lying out in the stream: A small boat had just reached her,
and a slender youth, as he appeared at that distance, climbed, not
over-adroitly, up the vessel's side.

Murray Bradshaw called to a boatman near by and ordered the man to row
him over as fast as he could to the vessel lying in the stream. He had
no sooner reached the deck of the Swordfish than he asked for the young
person who had just been put on board.

"He is in the cabin, sir, just gone down with the captain," was the
reply.

His heart beat, in spite of his cool temperament, as he went down the
steps leading to the cabin. The young person was talking earnestly with
the captain, and, on his turning round, Mr. William Murray Bradshaw had
the pleasure of recognizing his young friend, Mr. Cyprian Eveleth.

CHAPTER VIII. DOWN THE RIVER.

Lo