her M'Grath."

"Well, Peter, you may be right; I don't exactly like all he says myself;
but what is a man to do?--either he is a Catholic, and believes as a
Catholic, or he is not one. Will I abandon my religion, now that it is
persecuted? Never, Peter: I hope not, without I find a much better, at
all events. Still I do not like to feel that this advice of my confessor
is at variance with my own conscience. Father M'Grath is a worldly man;
but that only proves that he is wrong, not that our religion is--and I
don't mind speaking to you on this subject. No one knows that I'm a
Catholic except yourself: and at the Admiralty they never asked me to
take that oath which I never would have taken, although Father M'Grath
says I may take any oath I please with what he calls heretics, and he
will grant me absolution. Peter, my dear fellow, say no more about it."

I did not; but I may as well end the history of poor Ella Flanagan at
once, as she will not appear again. About three months afterwards, we
received a letter from Father M'Grath, stating that the girl had arrived
safe, and had been a great comfort to O'Brien's father and mother, who
wished her to remain with them altogether; that Father M'Grath, had told
her that when a man took his commission as captain it was all the same
as going into a monastery as a monk, for he never could marry. The poor
girl believed him, and thinking that O'Brien was lost to her for ever,
with the advice of Father M'Grath, had entered as a nun in one of the
religious houses in Ireland, that, as she said, she might pray for him
night and day.

Many years afterwards, we heard of her--she was well, and not unhappy;
but O'Brien never forgot his behaviour to this poor girl. It was a
source of continual regret; and I believe, until the last day of his
existence, his heart smote him for his inconsiderate conduct towards
her. But I must leave this distressing topic, and return to the
_Rattlesnake_, which had now arrived at the West Indies, and joined the
Admiral at Jamaica.

[Footnote 1: The worthy priest formerly called Father O'Toole.--ED.]

Chapter XLIII

Description of the Coast of Martinique--Popped at for peeping--No
heroism in making oneself a target--Board a miniature Noah's Ark, under
Yankee colours--Capture a French slaver--Parrot soup in lieu of mock
turtle.

We found orders at Barbadoes to cruise off Martinique, to prevent
supplies being furnished to the garrison of the isla