The Florida agriculturist., 1889-07-24

"An right" said Percy. with sigh,
for he was good looking fellow, and
his mustache was not wholly indifferent
to him. "And when we are safe at sea
we can resume our natural selves"
''As soon as you like" returned Mar
tin, though perhaps it would do no
harm if we exchanged names for a
while longer. There is no telling what
may happen. or where some spy may
turn up who might find it for his irHAer-
est or amusement to gossip about us in
the wrong quarter"
Breakfast being over, nothing re-
NAMED but to label the trunks, which
Martin did by writing his name and that
of the steamer on tags. and attaching
them to the handles; an expressman was
then called and the trunks were removed.
Percy sacrificed his mustache and affixed
the whiskers. and finally, attired in his
friends outer garments. left the house
without interference and strolled up to
the Thirty third street elevated station.
From there it was twenty minutes ride
to his destination, and then all he had to
do was to go on board and wait for Mar
tin. The latter arrived in due course,
and at 3 o'clock the steamer moved out
into the river and pointed her nose toward
the Narrows, much to the relief of two
at least of her passengers. And yet both
Of them we're leaving behind what was
dearer than anything they could expect
to encounter. But those thoughts lay
deep; the more trifling ones only ap-
peared on the surface.
There were but few other passengers
on the steamer, and those not being peo-
pie whose society was especially attrac-
tive. Percy and Valentine passed the
greater part of the time in each others
company. Valentine had an almost in
exhaustible fund of anecdotes concern
ing his past life and adventures on hand,
and many hours were spent in narrating
those experiences to Percy, until the
American had become almost as con-
versant with the Englishman's past career
as If it had been his own. The episode
of his marriage interested him more than
anything else.
Valentine had met the girl upon the
outward bound steamer from England to
New Zealand. He had previously known
nothing Of her, nor heard her name; but
it afterwards transpired that she was
we'll acquainted with his family history,
a cousin of hers, with whom she CORE
sponded, having been engaged as compan-
ion to Lady Martin during several years.
She had thus learned fact that was
supposed to be known by few or none
outside the family circle-that Valen-
tines elder brother. who inherited the
estate, was subject to species of fits,
which, though not always incompatible
with long life, might bring his career to
a close at any moment. In such an
event, the property would descend to
Valentine Meanwhile, Valentines Lon
done xtravagances were not suspected by
the girl, and she believed him to be pos
sessed OF comfortable fortune of some
thing like twenty thousand pounds-a
sum not much in excess, to be sure, Of
what he would have had, had he invested
his money to advantage and lived within
his income.
She was a handsome girl, of about the
same age as Valentine, and with a man.
ner and temperament exceedingly aIlur-
ing to young fellow whose blood flows
warmly in his veins, and who finds tile
interminable leisure of a voyage to the
antipodes hang very heavy on his hands
She permitted him to acquire the convic-
tion that he was anything but Indifferent
to her: in fact, to use the colouuial
phrase, she set her cap at him. and Val