you,' I went on, 'that I, for my part, would show him all a daughter's
love and duty,'--'and so will Althea,'--I would fain have added, had not
Harry cut my speech short, saying,--

'That's a charming word on your lips when you speak of my father--the
word of daughter. I hope you consider what it may mean to me.'

'Sure,' I said, 'I am very willing to take you for my brother, if that
is what you aim at.'

'No, no, Lucy,' said he; 'I wish not to be your brother. I refuse
altogether to let you think of me as such; but I have nothing to say
against Mistress Althea as a sister. Think well of my words, will you?'
and, taking my hand, he put it to his lips. And it was not the first
time, in truth, that such a courtesy had been shown me; but with a fine
gentleman it seems such a matter of course. It was not so with the frank
and blunt sailor, who had had a kind of Puritan bringing-up too; so I
suppose that was the reason it made me tremble so strangely, or perhaps
the look on his face was the cause. I was therefore not sorry to see
Althea coming up to us again.

'We had better keep nearer the house; their conference may be over, and
Mrs. Golding will not know where to find us,' she said; so we turned
back, and all three paced up and down the terrace under the windows for
a while, then we went into the hall, and sat there awaiting the end of
the disputation.

At last we saw Mr. Truelocke, Mrs. Golding. James Westrop, and Andrew,
all issuing forth together, and all but one seeming mightily disturbed.
Mr. Truelocke looked stern and sad, and Mrs. Golding had been weeping;