them out. Alice is heartbroken over the affair, but I assure her
that it will all turn out for the best. I cannot ask you to come
up to the house; but whenever you have settled on anything leave
a note with Dorothy for me, and I will come down with Alice to see
you and say goodby to you. I will see that you do not go without
a proper outfit."

It was to deliver this letter that Jack had gone up to the back
gate; and seeing Alice in the garden they had naturally fallen
into conversation at the gate, when the mayor, looking out from
the window of his warehouse, happened to see them, and went out in
the greatest wrath to put a stop to the conversation.

Jack had indeed found a ship; she had come in from Holland with
cloth and other merchandise, and was after she was discharged to
sail for the colonies with English goods. She would not leave the
port for some weeks; but he had seen the captain, who had agreed
to take him as ship's boy. Had the mayor been aware that his late
apprentice was on the point of leaving he would not have interfered
with his intention; but as he had peremptorily ordered that his
name was not to be mentioned before him, and as Mrs. Anthony had
no motive in approaching the forbidden subject, the mayor remained
in ignorance that Jack was about to depart on a distant voyage.

One day, on going down to the town hail, he found an official letter
waiting him; it was an order from government empowering justices
of the peace to impress such men as they thought fit, with the only
restriction that men entitled to vote for members of parliament were
exempted. This tremendous power had just been legalized by an act
of parliament. A more iniquitous act never disgraced our statutes,