, 1864-06-06


dear, my gallant delivererl what an awfti
fate have you saved us from! If l had los
my child, how valueless would have beer
my own preservation! Toyou, under Hea
ven, l owe both; how can l express my
gratitude ~
"Oh, speak not thus 70 me, dear sir;
but did my duty, and am Inot already NOR
than repaid? But how . Miss Douglas r
"Miss Douglas I" sick Edward; colo
and formal indeed " he ~ 0athefina2--
your Catherine Have you not earned I
right to call her yours 7"
Philip trembled and turned pale; anG
then, when the warm blood, rushing to hi
cheeks again, flushed them with emotion, ht
exclaimed
"Oh, Mr.. Douglas! My whole efforts
since we parted, have been to smother feel
ings and wishes which your words have agair
called into life."
"And long may they live, my dear PhiliT
my dear son, hope soon to call you.
will no longer strive against fate. You have
saved Catherine life, and, if YOU still retain
her love, you have grateful fathers full
and free permission to avail yourself Of it
For the rest, we will trust to Providence
and to the exertions Of your own active and
energetic spirit"
"Mr. Douglas" said Philip, "your kind.
ness overpowen me. Iwould risk thousand
lives, if l had them, for such arecompense
but must not take advantage Of your ex-
cited feelings to obtain boon, however dear
to me, which your prudence would deny,
The same obstacles remain which at first
existed. l am still poor and friendless; the
Obscurity of my birth has not been cleared
up; and, circumstanced as am ut present.
ought l to avail myself of an accidental nd.
vantage, and Of your too generous apprecia-
tiOn Of it, to fetter the free choice Of your
daughter, who probably may now see those
obstacles with far different eyes than in her
early days?"
"Better times may come, Philip; and, in
the meanwhile, my daughters dOwry will be
sufficient to afford you both all the comforts
though not the luxuries Of life; your own
energy and industry must do the rest. But
you must consult Catherine on the subject
gain her cOnsenty mine you have, without
further condition, already"
After consultation with his officers, the
captain Of the Recovery deemed texpedient
to put into the Cape; and the ships course
was accordingly altered. The wind contin-
uing fair and steady, on the evening Of the
fourth day from the disaster she was close
in with the coast; and the breeze dying
away, and thick fog coming on, she was
hove to for the night. The next morning
the fog still continued-nothing was to be
seen Of the land, though every eye was
strained to penetrate the gloom, till at last
the glad cry was heard from the masthead,
High land ahead, sir! close aboard Of usv'
All eyes were now turned upwards; and
there, frowning above the bank Of fog, ap-
peared the dark outline Of the Table land.
The fog soon cleared off; and, in an hour
or two, the ship rounded Green Point, and
came to an anchor in Table Bay. After
Edward Douglas and the rest Of the pas
sengers were landed at Cape Town, Philip,
being second officer and idler, obtained leave
Of absence for a couple Of days, and went
on shore to join his friends. The boarding
houses were all crowded, for there were
several ships in the roads, one Of which,
full Of passengers from Bengal, had arrived
the day after the RecOyeryj but Edward
Douglas had contrivcd to secure accommo-
dation for Philip in the same house with
himself. Several passengers by the newly
arrived ship had taken up their quarters
thcrcj and, among them, q fne-lOoking,
elderly man, General Fortescue Of the
Bengal army. This gentleman happened,
on his first arrival, to be shown into the
room where Philip aud Edward Douglas
were converting together. They both rose
at his entrance, and he returned the saluta-
ton Of the latter with the free and unem-
barrassed air Of man Of the world; but,
when he turned to Philip, he started, and
gazed at him for some moments with look
80 fixed and earnest as to call the color into
his cheek.
Excuse me, sir" said he, at length
excuse my involuntary rudeness. Your
features awakOed recollectiOus Of other
times, and Of long-lost and dearly-loyed
friends and, for the moment, my thoughts
wandered into forgetfulness Of the courtesy
due to stranger"
"Ihope, at least, sir, that the recollections
recalled were not unpleasing onesl"
"When you have lived to my age, young
sir, bitter experience will have taught you
that the thread Of life is woven Of mingled
yarn; and that shades Of sorrow and disap-
pOintment may darken the brightest pictures
in memory retrospect. Few, very few, can
look back to the past years Of life with un-
mingled pleasure, or forward to the future
with unmixed hope"
Both Edward Douglas and Philip became
greatly Interested in this new acquaintance,
especially the latter, who in turn seemed ia
be the object Of the Generals almost exclu-
sive attention. He seemed to watch Phil
ip's every movement with eager interest
often cast upon him earnest and inquirine
looks, and would then, with heavy sigh
withdraw his gaze, as If his features had
recalled some faint and shadowy image ol
the past, which his memory was in vain en-.
deavoring 70 realize. A party was formed
to visit the far-famed farm Of Coustantia, on
which the well-known choice wine Of that
name is manufactured; and the three friends
set of together on horseback, after break
fast, next morning. General Fortescue
Notwithstanding the habitual shade Of mel
| anoholv which cln,,slad hia aonnfanhnca