CHAPTER II.

JOINING CO.

Many a worthy man sacrifices his peace to formalities.

L'ESTRANGE.

THE garden walk terminated with a gate opening inte a steep ravine, richly planted and arched overhead, which rather abruptly descended to the shore. At some distance beneath the umbrageous foliage, two figures were seen slowly winding up the ascent. The dim light which pervaded this hollow way threw them farther into perspective than might have been imagined from the distinctness with which their conversation reached the ears of our party. The subject was rather startling to the dignity of the old gentleman, accustomed as he was to the more stately demeanour, and reserved habits of officers in his day. It seemed to refer to himself; and the observation had called forth a laugh from the superior, as he conjectured, at his expense. Nor did the officer (for it now evidently appeared the couple approaching belonged to the brig) seem to be one of those likely to exact much deference from his attendant, who, notwithstanding, kept, out of respect for his superior, a little better than "a boat-hook's length in his wake."

"Perhaps, Sir," said the inferior, closing up abreast of his officer, and who happened to be bow-man of the boat, which had not long landed from the brig, "Ferhaps, Sir, as I draw less water nor you, it might n't be amiss to let me lead through the narrows.

"Why, Jones, you're as cautious as a Portuguese pilot," returned the officer; "surely we've no danger to dread."

"I does n't know that, Sir ;-it's as well to sound as we go. If you takes my advice, Sir, you 'd 'connitre the old boy afore we board him in the smoke."

"I admire your prudence; but pray, Jones, why th precaution? The old gentleman appears to have hoist his colours in compliment to the brig's putting into port; and it's not likely that an old officer would turn his back on a blue-jacket, or shut his doors against a sailor."

"Why, I hope you 're not out in your reck'ning, Sir;but you see, Sir," said the tar, assuming the air of one endowed with a learned spirit of human dealings;'"you see, Sir, when a man's a long time out o' commission, he can't help getting, as a body may say,-shore-hardened a bit-a touch o' the two ways wi' him-heaves-in, you know, Sir, when he means to stick-out;-and polite enough to ax you to freshen your nip, when at the same time he 'd as soon give you a drop of his blood as a drop of his bottle."

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Probably so; but I make it a rule never to distrust the cloth; and, to its honour be it said, I've never yet been deceived. But, hollo! who have we here?"

"The commodore, by all that's blue!" said the bowman, who had previously learned from the fishermen on the beach the appellative by which the veteran was known in the neighbourhood. Oh, it's him, Sir, as sure as a gun, for here's the gate close aboard; he's overhard us for sartin."

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"Well, Sir," said the other, elevating his voice sufficiently to reach distinctly the person it was meant to conciliate, "he can have heard nothing of which he or I have any reason to be ashamed."

He had hardly time to put his hand to his hat, and salute the party, ere the old gentleman accosted him with an obviously constrained familiarity :

"Your humble servant, Sir.-I presume the brig brought up below is yours?"

"I have the honour to belong to her," replied the officer.

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Belong to her?-you mean she belongs to you.Well, Sir,--you're welcome to the port.-My niece here prevailed on me to come down to meet you; though, I assure you, I was not over inclined to start tack or sheet. -We liners, you know, are not in the habit of leading small craft into their anchorage."

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"I feel more sensibly the compliment from its having originated with th lady," said the stranger, bowing gracefully to Emily," but the fact is, I have been sent by Captain Staunch to a

"Sent!" interrupted Crank, in a tone of surprise"volunteered you mean?-You're superseded, I suppose?" "I hope not, Sir."

Hope not!-Gad, had you been served as I was— kept knocking about the North Seas the standing-part of a winter's cruize after you were posted,* you would n't object to your successor's joining so soon.

"You labour, I rather think, Sir, under some misapprehension, attributable to my wearing an epaulette. Perhaps, Sir, you have not been apprised of the recent change in the uniform ?"

"Change in the uniform!-what change?-My niece here generally overhauls the newspapers very sharply, and neither of us have read any thing of the matter—have we, child?"

"Pardon me, Sir," said he," a considerable change has taken place. The same uniform which hitherto distinguished a post-captain under three years' standing, now denotes the rank of lieutenant."

"What, Sir, you don't mean to say that the lufftacklet has shipped the swab?"

"Yes, Sir, and on the right shoulder."

"Ha! ha! ha!--the service is going headlong to the devil! Then, of course, the wash-boards are shipped by the reefer. And so, after all, I'm addressing only a lieutenant!-is it so, eh ?"

"At your service, Sir, only lieutenant, and even second lieutenant of His Majesty's sloop Spitfire."

"D- -n it, this is the devil's own take-in, my dear," said Crank to Emily, aside." Pray, Sir, may I ask your

name?"

Burton, Sir."

"Burton! Burton!-surely you can't be son to my old

*Made post-captain.

White facings of the uniform coat, formerly indicating the rank of

lieutenant,

† Lieutenant.

§ Midshipman.

messmate, Bob Burton, who served as second in the Boyne?-But, no; I remember, like myself, he kept his text through life, never to be hampered with a rib-so that can't be, except to be sure,—a side wind."

He might, perhaps, have pursued the subject farther, notwithstanding Emily had disengaged her arm from his to occupy herself in unnecessarily adjusting a very delicate. and faultless specimen of shoe-tie, had not the frown which he saw fast gathering on the lieutenant's brow recalled the old gentleman to a sense of the impropriety of pushing this species of equitable dubiety farther as to the parentage of a perfect stranger. He hastened to resume the subject--luckily, the catch-word suggested itself" Burton, Burton ;-well, and pray, Mr. Burton, if it be a fair question," continued the veteran, "how comes it that as second lieutenant, you are the first officer to land from the brig?—I suppose, in those sort of small craft, there are no more cats than catch mice.-A brig, you know, Sir, is not like a battle-ship. To be sure, in my day, the second lieutenant of a liner was considered as a sort of spare-topmast, that lay idle on the booms as long as the first was standing ;—but times, I perceive, have terribly changedterribly, indeed."

Though Emily in some measure shared in her uncle's mortification at finding, as he had so unceremoniously expressed it, that all this while he had been addressing only a lieutenant; her deportment obviously betrayed even to a careless observer, that a considerable degree of interest had been already excited by the rencontre. Nor was this at all surprising.-Taking her uncle as a specimen of the profession, whose temper, notwithstanding his goodness of heart, was crabbed, and whose manner and conversation, harsh and dictatorial, she was agreeably surprised by the anaffected manners, easy affability, and prepossessing appearance of the young officer; and this surprise might, perhaps, best interpret the meaning of those furtive glances. of her fine dark eyes, which were directed towards him at intervals, when she imagined, from his being engaged in conversation with her uncle, there was little danger of her being detected.

To keep the veteran no longer in suspense as to the ob

ject of his mission, Burton proceeded to acquaint him that he came ashore specially for the purpose of ascertaining whether fresh provisions and water were to be conveniently obtained in the neighbourhood?--" We have, Sir," said he, "just returned from a cruize off Scilly,-and-seeing St. George's ensign flying at the flag-staff-"

"Flag-staff, young man!" interrupted Crank, "I'll have you know that flag-staff, as you call it, is the main-to’gallant-mast of a six-and-thirty gun frigate, and no capperbar either. D-n it, where are your eyes, Sir?Don't you see she's a reg'lar fidded royal-mast, cross-trees and all complete ?--I'll answer for it, the stay and shrouds are made of a better piece of two-and-a-half hawser-laid stuff than any you can sport in your a--what d'ye call her, Sir ?"

"The Spitfire," replied the lieutenant coolly, who perceived he had a testy customer to deal with.

"The Spitfire, eh ?-built since my time.-Well, and so you say this Spitfire--(gad, you 've got her black enough to call her the Belzebub-zounds! girl, don't be treading on my toes,) and so you 've only come into port to replenish your water?--you 're sure nothing else?captain not sick o' the cruize, eh?-old stationer, you know-up to these sort o' rigs."

"Sir, it would not become me to dispute that such may be the result of your own experience; but it would become me less, tamely to acquiesce in any undeserved censure on the conduct of my commander;" and, with a graceful inclination of the head towards Emily, he continued, "Nor would it be just to the profession or to yourself, to omit reminding you that this censure is levelled against the most devoted protectors of the sex."

"Holloa, young man,--touchy as tinder!--What tack are we on now ?--got hold of a sea-lawyer it seems. However, I like your spirit in sticking up for the discipline of the service. Respect your superiors-that's my maxim;-had it painted on the break of the Grampus's poop."

*As this will be perfectly well understood by those who are interested in the honour of the service, and in keeping the secret, it shall, for the sake of the veteran, never be explained in a note of ours.