of his confidence. But still, what I propose would, I think, be the best, for then he will be at his duty in a way that will suit all parties-you, because you employ him on

Exactly; so he must. But look ye, Wilson you must not lose him. It's all easily settled appoint him your orderly midshipman to and from the ship; that will be employment, and he can always remain here at night. I will tell him that I have asked, as a favor, what I now do, and leave me to find out what he is thinking about.”

"It may be done that way, certainly," replied Captain Wilson, musing, "and you are more likely to get his intentions from him than I am. I am afraid he has too great a command of money ever to be fond of the ship; it is the ruin of a junior officer to be so lavishly supplied."

"He's a long way from ruin yet, Wilson. He's a very fine fellow, even by your own acknowledgment. You humored him, out of gratitude to his father, when he first came into the service; humor him a little now to keep him in it. Besides, if your first lieutenant is such a fool with his universal medicine, can you wonder at a midshipman taking advantage of it?" "No, but I ought not to allow him to do so with my eyes open.

"He has made it known to you upon honor, and you ought not to take advantage

can take his medicine; and Jack, because he can dine with me every day."

"Well, I suppose it must be so," replied Captain Wilson, laughing; "but still, I trust you will discover what is working in his mind, to induce him to give me that answer, governor."

'Never fear; Jack shall confess."

The party sat down to dinner, and, what with the governor's aid-de-camp and those invited, it was pretty numerous. After the cloth had been removed the governor called upon Jack for his stories, whereupon, much to the surprise of Captain Wilson, who had never heard one word of it-for the admiral had not mentioned anything about it to him. during the short time the Aurora was with the Toulon fleet-our hero gave the governor and that company the narrative of all that happened in the Eliza Ann transport-the loves of Captain Hogg and Miss Hicks, the adventures of Gascoigne, and his plan by which he balked them all.

The governor was delighted, and Captain Wilson not a little astonished.

"You prevented a very foolish thing, Mr. Easy, and behaved very well," observed the captain, laughing again at the idea; “but you never told me of this."

"No, sir," replied Jack; "I have always reserved my stories for the governor's table, where I am sure to meet you, and then telling once does for all."

Jack received his appointment as orderly midshipman, and everything went on well;

for of his own accord he stayed on board the major part of the day to learn his duty, which very much pleased the captain and Mr. Pottyfar. In this Jack showed a great deal of good sense, and Captain Wilson did not repent of the indulgence he had shown him. Jack's health improved daily, much to Mr. Pottyfar's satisfaction, who imagined that he took the universal medicine night and morning. Gascoigne also was a patient under the first lieutenant's hands and often on shore with our hero, who thought no more of quitting the service.

For seven weeks they had now remained in harbor, for even the masts had to be made, when one day Captain Wilson opened a letter he received at breakfast-time, and, having read it, laid it down with the greatest surprise depicted in his counte

nance.

What can this mean?" said he.

Jack heard the letter read, rose quietly, whistled low, as if not attending to it, and then slipped out of the room unperceived by the governor or Captain Wilson.

The fact was that, although Jack had longed to tell the governor about his adventures after the masquerade, he did not like yet a while, until he was sure that there were no consequences because he had given the captain's name instead of his own. As soon as he had heard the letter read he at once perceived that it had been the old lady, and not the priests, who had made the inquiry, and that by giving Captain Wilson's name he had obtained for him this fine legacy. Jack was delighted, but still puzzled; so he walked out of the room to reflect a little.

"Just hear its contents, Sir Thomas." Captain Wilson then read in Spanish as follows:

"HONORABLE SIR: It is my duty to advise you that the Honorable Lady Signora Alforgas de Fezman, now deceased, has in her testament bequeathed to you the sum of one thousand doubloons in gold as a testimony of your kind services on the night of the 12th of August. If you will authorize any merchant here to receive the money, it shall be paid forthwith, or remitted in any way you please to appoint. May you live a thousand years!

"Your most obedient servant,
ALFONZO XEREZ.”

that was the day of the grand masquerade."

"A lucky one for you, at all events; for, you know, mistake or not, no one else can touch the legacy. It can be paid only to you."

"I never heard of anything taking place at the masquerade: I was there, but I left early, for I was not very well.—Mr. Easy," said Captain Wilson, turning round; but Jack was gone.

Was he at the masquerade?" asked the governor.

"Yes, I know he was, for the first lieutenant told me that he requested not to come on board till the next day."

'Depend upon it,". replied the governor, striking his fist on the table, "that Jack's at the bottom of it."

Dut."

After a little more conversation Captain Wilson went on board, leaving Jack on purpose that the governor might pump him. But this Sir Thomas had no occasion to do, for Jack had made up his mind to make the governor his confidant, and he immediately told him the whole story. The governor held his sides at our hero's description, especially at his ruse of giving the captain's name instead of his own.

"You'll kill me, Jack, before you've done with me," said old Tom, at last. But now what's to be done?"

Our hero now became grave; he pointed out to the governor that he himself had plenty of money and would come into a large fortune, and that Captain Wilson was poor, with a large family. All Jack wished the governor to manage was that Captain Wilson might consent to accept the legacy. "Right, boy, right! You're my own boy," replied the governor. "But we must think of this, for Wilson is the very soul of honor, and there may be some difficulty about it. You have told nobody?"

"Not a soul but you, Sir Thomas." "It never would do to tell him all this, Jack, for he would insist that the legacy belonged to you."

"I have it, sir," replied Jack. "When I was going into the masquerade, I offered to hand this very old lady, who was covered with diamonds, out of her carriage, and she was so frightened at my dress of a devil that she would have fallen down had it not

I think, do. I must tell him the story of the friars, because I swore you had something to do with it, but I'll tell him no more. Leave it all to me."

Captain Wilson returned in the afternoon, and found the governor in the veranda.

"I have had some talk with young Easy," said the governor, "and he has told me a strange story about that night which he was afraid to tell to everybody."

The governor then narrated the history of the friars and the will.

Well, but," observed Captain Wilson, "the history of that will affords no clue to the legacy."

"No, it does not; but still, as I said, Jack had a hand in this. He frightened the old lady as a devil, and you caught her in your arms and saved her from falling; so he had a hand in it, you see."

"I do now remember that I did save

a very dowager-like old personage from falling at the sight of a devil, who, of course, must have been our friend Easy." Well, and that accounts for the whole

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of politeness and become independent. In my opinion, this mystery is unravelled. The old lady for I knew the family-must have died immensely rich. She knew you in your full uniform, and she asked your name; a heavy fall would have been, to one so fat, a most serious affair; you saved her, and she has rewarded you handsomely."

แ

as

Well," replied Captain Wilson, I can give no other explanation, I suppose yours is the correct one; but it's hardly fair to take a thousand doubloons from her relations merely for an act of civility."

"You really are quite ridiculous. The old lady owned half Muricia, to my knowledge; it is no more to them than any one leaving you a suit of mourning in an English legacy. I wish you joy; it will help you with a large family, and in justice to them you are bound to take it. Everybody does as he pleases with his own money, depend upon it. You saved her from breaking her leg short off at the hip-joint."

"Upon that supposition I presume I must accept the legacy," replied Captain Wilson, laughing.

"Of course; send for it at once. The rate of exchange is now high. It will give you government bills which will make it nearly four thousand pounds."

"Four thousand pounds for preventing an old woman from falling!" replied Captain Wilson.

appointed to a ship, I should not have gained my promotion, nor three thousand pounds I have made in prize-money, the command of a fine frigate, and now four thousand pounds in a windfall."

The governor thought that he was more indebted to Jack than to his father for some of these advantages, but he was careful not to point them out.

"It's very true," observed the governor, "that Mr. Easy was of service to you when you were appointed, but allow me to observe that for your ship, your prize-money and for your windfall you have been wholly indebted to your own gallantry in both senses of the word. Still, Mr. Easy is a fine, generous fellow, and so is his son, I can tell you. By the bye, I had a long conversation with him the other day."

"About himself?"

'Yes, all about himself. He appears to me to have come into the service without any particular motive, and will be just as likely to leave it in the same way. He appears to be very much in love with that Sicilian nobleman's daughter. I find that he has written to her and to her brother since he has been here."

"That he came into the service in search of what he never will find in this world I know very well-and I presume that he has found that out-and that he will follow up the service is also very doubtful; but I do not wish that he should leave it yet it is

"For how much am I indebted to the father of young Easy!" observed Captain

Wilson.