Lucy and Chloe, supporting
Grace, passed me on their way to the cabin. My poor sister was pale as
death, and I could see that she trembled so much she could hardly walk. A
significant glance from Lucy bade me not to interfere, and I hid
sufficient self-command to obey. I turned to look at the neighbouring
sloop, and found at once an explanation of my sister's agitation. The
Mertons and Rupert were on her quarter-deck, and so near as to render it
impossible to avoid speaking, at least to the former. At this embarrassing
instant Lucy returned to my side, with a view, as I afterwards learned, to
urge me to carry the Wallingford to some place so distant, as to remove
the danger of any intercourse. This accident rendered the precaution
useless, the whole party in the other vessel catching sight of my
companion at the same moment.

"This is an agreeable surprise!" called out Emily, in whose eyes Rupert's
sister could not be an object of indifference. "By your brother's and Mrs.
Drewett's account, we had supposed you at Clawbonny, by the bed-side of
Miss Wallingford."

"Miss Wallingford is here, as are my father, and Mrs. Drewett, and--"

Lucy never let it be known who that other "and" was intended to include.

"Well, this is altogether surprising!" put in Rupert, with a steadiness of
voice that really astounded me. "At the very moment we were giving you
lots of credit for your constancy in friendship, and all that sort of
thing, here you are, Mademoiselle Lucie, trotting off to the Springs, like
all the rest of us, bent on pleasure."

"No, Rupert," answered Lucy, in a tone which I thought could not fail to
bring the heartless coxcomb to some sense of the feeling he ought to
manifest; "I am going to no Springs. Dr. Post has advised a change of
scene and air for Grace; and Miles has brought us all up in his sloop,
that we may endeavour to contribute to the dear sufferer's comfort, in one
united family. We shall not land in Albany."

I took my cue from these last words, and understood that I was not even to
bring the sloop alongside the wharf.

"Upon my word, it is just as she says, Colonel!" cried Rupert. "I can see
my father on the forecastle, with Post, and divers others of my
acquaintance. Ay--and there's Drewett, as I live! Wallingford, too! How
fare you, noble captain, up in this fresh-water stream? You must be
strangely out of your latitude."

"How do you do, Mr. Hardinge?" I coldly returned the salutation; and th