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CHAPTER V.

I'll example you with thievery :
The sun's a thief, and with his great attraction
Robs the vast sea; the moon's an arrant thief,
And her pale face she snatches from the sun;
The sea's a thief, whose liquid surge resolves
The moon into salt tears; the earth's a thief,
That feeds and breeds by a composure stolen
From general excitement: each thing's a thief;
The laws, your curb and whip, in their rough power
Have unchecked theft.

Timon of Athens.

The brilliant day on which the scenes narrated in the last chapter took place, was succeeded by a soft and lovely night-the night when Captain Carlos, his daughter Matilda, and the girl Euphemia, left the house of Mr. Rosebourne, at Everton, for their own dwelling in Liverpool. Strange as it may sound, the fugitive had never before been out after sunset. Owing to the jealous circumspection of Captain Carlos, she had been confined to the house as rigorously as the human being who was kept in a cage from infancy until manhood, and upon whom exterior influences are said to have exercised such a mysterious potency. True, a stray moonbeam had occasionally made its way through the narrow casements of the little back chamber in which the poor

girl took her solitary rest; but, since the dawn of reason, it was the first time she had walked abroad, surrounded by the sublimity of nature, and great was the impression it made on her young and perturbed imagination. Every thing, in fact, was new to her-every thing seemed to startle and amaze her. She regarded objects, to which habit had familiarized the rest of the world, with different thoughts and feelings; and the memory of that night, and of the scenes to which it gave rise, was never effaced from her mind.

The full moon, as it coursed merrily through the heavens, obscured occasionally by a few fleecy clouds, arrested her ardent gaze, and excited profound astonishment, increased, probably, by the fact that she had never heard it talked about! What wonders existed in creation, the poor girl naturally thought, when so bright and beautiful a phenomenon, had never, in her hearing, been deemed worthy even of an allusion! Now, the whispering murmur of the trees attracted her attention, as a light breath of air passed among their foliage, and turning hastily, she beheld with new rapture, the rich prodigal boughs of summer bathed in a flood of radiance, their leaves glittering like the golden fruit of an Arabian fairy tale. It was nearly high water, and from the commanding height on which the little party stood, as they descended from the hill side into the valley below, the moon's rays were seen dancing on the slumbering river, and the girl gazed upon it with delight,

not unmixed with awe and apprehension. There were ships, too-floating things, which glided gracefully through the waters, of which she had some dim recollection, but the sights that crowded on her bewildered senses from all sides, shut out the possibility of tracing a single idea distinctly. The very ground on which she trod was rich in marvels. She scanned curiously the dew-drops on every blade of grass, and longed to turn aside from the path, to examine the simple flowers, whose folded cups lay like scattered pearls upon the sward.

Many and varied were the questions she would have asked-delightful would it have been to express the emotion which she felt at the beauty of the scene before her, suffused, as it was, in the silvery light; but her disgrace was too deep, her fear of punishment too acute, to challenge the anger of the brutal man who kept such vigilant guard over her person and her tongue.

Lunar influence has been held, in various ages of the world, to create a singular sympathy in the minds and spirits of mankind; but rarely have the mild rays of the planet produced sensations so novel and so extraordinary. The unaccustomed impressions of free air and exercise awakened the poor girl's senses to an acuteness which she had never before experienced. Substances, the odour of which could not be perceived by others, tested the quickness of her perceptive faculties. The smell of the herbs and of the trees had a strange effect on her

delicate organisation, and added to her unusual exertions, caused an overpowering sense of debility and fatigue that made itself evident in her lagging pace.

From whatever cause, Captain Carlos was unusually loquacious that night; he exhibited towards his youngest child, who leaned on his arm, an amount of affection which appeared the more extraordinary from its novelty. Wrapped up in the conversation, he bestowed little attention on the progress of the girl; but when her lameness became apparent to him, he gave expression to some coarse oaths by way of quickening her movements, and two or three times he applied his golden-headed cane to effect the same purpose.

The clustering town to the south appeared to repose like a gigantic ruin in the still and melancholy light, and the little party were gradually reaching it by the meadow land through which a stile road passed. Coming to a hollow, through which ran a small rivulet, that it was necessary to cross, a figure, somewhat bulky and masculine, was seen to approach. The girl reached the stream on the one side just at the moment the stranger approached it from the other, and, shouting to her to jump, he held his hand, and safely landed her. To Miss Matilda the same gallantry was extended, and when the captain bounded forward, the stranger stood ready to afford him assistance in case of need. The old sailor had scarcely felt his feet again, when the exclamation

"What! my old buck-my old captain!" fell upon his astonished ear. "Well!" said the stranger, "who could have expected this? So late, too, with young ladies! Ma'am, your most obedient," the stranger added, addressing Matilda, at the same time touching a low slouching hat with his fingers. "It's many years," he continued, "since I had the pleasure of seeing you before, Ma'am. You were young then, and don't remember me-no wonder! but your father does, Ma'am. We're old acquaintances; indeed, he'll never forget me! Eh! Captain Carlos? This is your daughter. I know it. Well, and how are ye all?"

"Devilskin!" said the captain, in a surprised but subdued and not unfriendly tone, “Devilskin! is that you? How strange! But we're in a great hurry to get home. It's bad for young people to be out so late. This is not the time or the place to hold a protracted parley. I'm very well, thank ye. This is my youngest daughter, Matilda," said he, presenting the young lady at the same time to the strange figure before her. She slightly curtsied. "And this is

"Aye, who is this, captain ?" said the stranger, observing that he faltered when he was about to mention Euphemia. "I think I've seen her before. Have I not? Her face is very familiar to me. I'm sure I've seen the girl before."

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ness,

This," said the captain, with assumed careless

"is my daughter's servant. But good night,

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