he had been the
heir to the family honors."

"_That_ it is certainly too late to help," cried the admiral, wondering if
the ingenuity of his friend could devise a remedy for this evil too.

"Too late, indeed," said the other, with a heavy sigh, "but Howell, what
say you to matching Isabel with my favorite George?"

"Denbigh," cried the sailor, eyeing him keenly, "Isabel is my only child,
and a dutiful, good girl; one that will obey orders if she breaks owners,
as we sailors say. Now I did think of marrying her to a seaman, when a
proper man came athwart my course; yet your son is a soldier, and that is
next to being in the navy: if-so-be you had made him come aboard me, when
I wanted you to, there would have been no objection at all: however, when
occasion offers. I will overhaul the lad, and if I find him staunch he may
turn in with Bell and welcome."

This was uttered in perfect simplicity, and with no intention of giving
offence, partaking partly of the nature of a soliloquy; so the general,
greatly encouraged, was about to push the point, when a gun was fired from
their own ship.

"There's some of them lubberly transports won't mind our signals; they
have had these soldiers so long on board, they get as clumsy as the
red-coats themselves," muttered the admiral, hastening on deck to enforce
his commands.

A shot or two, sent significantly in the direction of the wanderers, but
so as not to hit them, restored order; and within an hour forty line of
battle ships and a hundred transports were disposed in the best manner for
convenience and safety.

On their presentation to their sovereign, both veterans were embellished
with the riband of the Bath; and as their exploits filled the mouths of
the newsmongers, and the columns of the public prints of the day, the new
knights began to think more seriously of building a monument to their
victories, in a union between their children. The admiral, however,
determined to do nothing with his eyes shut, and he demanded a scrutiny.

"Where is the boy who is to be a duke?" exclaimed he, one day, when his
friend had introduced the point with a view to a final arrangement. "Bell
has good blood in her veins--is a tight built little vessel--clean heel'd
and trim, and would make as good a duchess as the best of them; so
Denbigh, I will begin by taking a survey of the senior."

To this the general had no objection, as he well knew that Francis would
be wide of pleasing the tast