once more returned
home.

After a visit paid to Abel Bush, who welcomed them home as cordially as
their other old friends had done, they returned to dine with Paul
Pringle.

"And, True Blue, my boy, how soon is it to come off?" inquired Paul when
dinner was over. "Have you asked Mary to fix the day yet?"

"No, godfather; I thought she might rather wish to wait a bit, and so I
wasn't going to ask her for a day or two," answered True Blue
ingenuously.

"Don't put it off, lad," said Paul. "When a sailor meets a girl to
love, the shorter the wooing and the sooner he weds the better. How
does he know what moment he may have to heave up his anchor and make
sail round the world again?"

True Blue very willingly promised to follow his godfather's advice; and
Harry, who was listening attentively, thought it excellent. As may be
supposed, before the evening was over, the day was settled for True
Blue's wedding with Mary Ogle; and before a week had passed, Harry
announced that her sister Susan had fixed the same day to marry him.

Close to Mrs Ogle's residence was a barn of large dimensions; it was
not a picturesque building, but the floor was smooth, and that was all
they required. In a wonderfully short space of time, with the aid of
flags innumerable, wreaths of flowers, and painted canvas, it was
converted into a most elegant edifice, fit for a ball or supper room.
The morning of True Blue's wedding day arrived, and up to Dame Pringle's
door drove a postchaise with four horses, out of which stepped Sir Henry
Elmore, now, as his full-dress uniform showed, a Post-Captain. He shook
hands right cordially with True Blue and all his friends, and the bells
of the parish church at that moment set up so merry and joyous a peal
that it was evident the ringers believed that it was an occasion of much
happiness.

Carriages sufficient to carry all the party now began to collect in the
neighbourhood of Paradise Row; and Sam Smatch and Tom Marline, both of
whom had got leave to come on shore, were very busy in fastening huge
white favours and bunches of flowers to the coats of the party.

"Come, Freeborn, with me in my carriage," said Sir Henry. "I have
fulfilled my promise in being present at your marriage, and must beg to
stand as your best man, and see that you behave properly; but boarding a
Frenchman at the head of a dozen daring fellows, though opposed to a
hundred or more, is a very different matter to standing befor