to forget him. He is altogether superior to the rest of the set: do you
not agree with me?"

Eve made no answer, probably because she thought her companion was not
sufficiently intimate to interrogate her on the subject of her opinions of
others. Mr. Sharp had too much knowledge of the world not to perceive the
little mistake he had made, and after begging the young lady, with a
ludicrous deprecation of her mercy, not to betray him, he changed the
conversation with the tact of a man who saw that the discourse could not
be continued without assuming a confidential character that Eve was
indisposed to permit. Luckily, a pause in the discourse between the
governess and her colloquist permitted a happy turn to the conversation.

"I believe you are an American, Mr. Blunt," he remarked; "and as I am an
Englishman, we may be fairly pitted against each other on this important
question of international law, and about which I hear our worthy captain
flourishing extracts from Vattel as familiarly as household terms. I hope,
at least, you agree with me in thinking that when the sloop-of-war comes
up with us, it will be very silly on our part to make any objections to
being boarded by her?"

"I do not know that it is at all necessary I should be an American to give
an opinion on such a point," returned the young man he addressed,
courteously, though he smiled to himself as he answered--"For what is
right, is right, quite independent of nationality. It really does appear
to me that a public-armed vessel ought, in war or peace, to have a right
to ascertain the character of all merchant-ships, at least on the coast of
the country to which the cruisers belong. Without this power, it is not
easy to see in what manner they can seize smugglers, capture pirates, or
other wise enforce the objects for which such vessels are usually sent to