with it a strangely tender dream which had all night long haunted his
slumbers. The captain rose hurriedly, dressed himself and inquired for
the child, who had been resigned to the care of the cook. She was
brought to him, a bright, cheerful little thing, just beginning to lisp
unintelligible words. For a few days she missed her mother and wore a
look of expectation on her infantile face, occasionally crying out; but
anon this passed away, and she became cheerful and happy. The captain
spent as much of his time with her as he could spare from his duties,
and as he held the little creature on his knee, heard her gentle voice
in baby accents, and felt her warm baby fingers on his cheek, a new
emotion took possession of his heart. He loved little Morgianna dearly
as a father might.

Before that voyage was over, Captain Lane resolved to abandon the sea
and retire to his fine estate at Mariana, a village on the seashore not
a score of miles from Baltimore. He kept his intentions a secret until
the vessel was in port; then the merchants with whom he had been engaged
in business for years, were astounded to learn that Captain Lane had
made his last voyage. A nurse was engaged for little Morgianna and the
great mansion house on the hill within a fourth of a mile of Mariana was
fitted up for habitation. Servants were sent to the place, and the
villagers were lost in wonder.

The gossips had food for conjecture for weeks, and many were the strange
stories afloat. Some of the old dames thought the captain was going to
be married after all. Then the young widows and ancient maidens who had
heard much about Captain Lane, sighed and looked disconsolate. Every
kind of a story but the truth was afloat.

When on one bright autumnal day, a carriage from Baltimore was seen to