He'll never come near Miss Flora
again, I'll be bound, though to be sure we moved away from the Hall on
account of him; but not that I saw the good of cruising out of one's own
latitude, but somehow or another you see the doctor and the admiral got
it into their heads to establish a sort of blockade, and the idea of the
thing was to sail away in the night quite quiet, and after that take up
a position that would come across the enemy on the larboard tack, if so
be as he made his appearance." "Oh, you allude to watching the Hall, I presume?" "Ay, ay, sir, just so; but would you believe it, Master Charlie, the
admiral and the doctor got so blessed drunk that I could do nothing with
'em." "Indeed!" "Yes, they did indeed, and made all kinds of queer mistakes, so that the
end of all that was, that the vampyre did come; but he got away again." "He did come then; Sir Francis Varney came again after the house was
presumed to be deserted?" "He did, sir." "That is very strange; what on earth could have been his object? This
affair is most inexplicably mysterious. I hope the distance, Jack, is
not far that you're taking me, for I'm incapable of enduring much
fatigue." "Not a great way, your honour; keep two points to the westward, and sail
straight on; we'll soon come to port. My eye, won't there be a squall
when you get in. I expect as Miss Flora will drop down as dead as a
herring, for she doesn't think you're above the hatches." "A good thought, Jack; my sudden appearance may produce alarm. When we
reach the place of abode of the Bannerworths, you shall precede me, and
prepare them in some measure for my reception." "Very good, sir; do you see that there little white cottage a-head,
there in the offing?" "Yes, yes; is that the place?" "Yes, your honour, that's the port to which we are bound." "Well, then, Jack, you hasten a-head, and see Miss Flora, and be sure
you prepare her gently and by degrees, you know, Jack, for my
appearance, so that she shall not be alarmed." "Ay, ay, sir, I understand; you wait here, and I'll go and do it; there
would be a squall if you were to make your appearance, sir, all at once. She looks upon you as safely lodged in Davy's locker; she minds me, all
the world, of a girl I knew at Portsmouth, called Bet Bumplush. She was
one of your delicate little creatures as don't live long in this here
world; no, blow me; when I came home from a eighteen months' cruise,
once I seed her drinking rum out of a quart pot, so I says, 'Hilloa,
what cheer?' And only to think now of the wonderful effect that there
had upon her; with that very pot she gives the fellow as was standing
treat a knobber on the head as lasted him three weeks. She was too good
for this here world, she was, and too rummantic. 'Go to blazes,' she
says to him, 'here's Jack Pringle come home.'" "Very romantic indeed," said Charles. "Yes, I believe you, sir; and that puts me in mind of Miss Flora and
you." "An extremely flattering comparison. Of course I feel much obliged." "Oh, don't name it, sir. The British tar as can't oblige a feller-cretor
is unworthy to tread the quarter-deck, or to bear a hand to the distress
of a woman." "Very well," said Charles. "Now, as we are here, precede me, if you
please, and let me beg of you to be especially cautious in your manner
of announcing me." "Ay, ay, sir," said Jack: and away he walked towards the cottage,
leaving Charles some distance behind. Flora and the admiral were sitting together conversing. The old man, who
loved her as if she had been a child of his own, was endeavouring, to
the extent of his ability, to assuage the anguish of her thoughts, which
at that moment chanced to be bent upon Charles Holland. "Nevermind, my dear," he said; "he'll turn up some of these days, and
when he does, I sha'n't forget to tell him that it was you who stood out
for his honesty and truth, when every one else was against him,
including myself, an old wretch that I was." "Oh, sir, how could you for one moment believe that those letters could
have been written by your nephew Charles? They carried, sir, upon the
face of them their own refutation; and I'm only surprised that for one
instant you, or any one who knew him, could have believed him capable of
writing them." "Avast, there," said the admiral; "that'll do. I own you got the better
of the old sailor there. I think you and Jack Pringle were the only two
persons who stood out from the first." "Then I honour Jack for doing so." "And here he is," said the admiral, "and you'd better tell him. The
mutinous rascal! he wants all the honour he can get, as a set-off
against his drunkenness and other bad habits." Jack walked into the room, looked about him in silence for a moment,
thrust his hands in his breeches pockets, and gave a long whistle. "What's the matter now?" said the admiral. "D--me, if Charles Holland ain't outside, and I've come to prepare you
for the blessed shock," said Jack. "Don't faint either of you, because
I'm only going to let you know it by degrees, you know." A shriek burst from Flora's lips, and she sprung to the door of the
apartment. "What!" cried the admiral, "my nephew--my nephew Charles! Jack, you
rascal, if you're joking, it's the last joke you shall make in this
world; and if it's true, I--I--I'm an old fool, that's all." "Ay, ay, sir," said Jack; "didn't you know that afore?" "Charles--Charles!" cried Flora. He heard the voice. Her name escaped
his lips, and rang with a pleasant echo through the house. In another moment he was in the room, and had clasped her to his breast. "My own--my beautiful--my true!" "Charles, dear Charles!" "Oh, Flora, what have I not endured since last we met; but this repays
me--more than repays me for all." "What is the past now," cried Flora--"what are all its miseries placed
against this happy, happy moment?" "D--me, nobody thinks of me," said the admiral. "My dear uncle," said Charles, looking over Flora's shoulder, as he
still held her in his arms, "is that you?" "Yes, yes, swab, it is me, and you know it; but give us your five, you
mutinous vagabond; and I tell you what, I'll do you the greatest favour
I've had an opportunity of doing you some time--I'll leave you alone,
you dog. Come along, Jack." "Ay, ay, sir," said Jack; and away they went out of the apartment. And now those two loving hearts were alone--they who had been so long
separated by malignant destiny, once again were heart to heart, looking
into each other's faces with all the beaming tenderness of an affection
of the truest, holiest character. The admiral had done a favour to them both to leave them alone, although
we much doubt whether his presence, or the presence of the whole world,
would have had the effect of controlling one generous sentiment of noble
feeling. They would have forgotten everything but that they were together, and
that once again each looked into the other's eyes with all the
tenderness of a love purer and higher than ordinarily belongs to mortal
affections.