beautiful creature whom I had now identified; but when I turned toward my companion, his stern expression, so different from the one his features had hitherto borne, almost disheartened me.

"'Don Pedro,' said I, with hesitation, 'may I ask if you are angry at the trifling manner with which I have spoken of your sister before I knew her to be such?'

"'Is it necessary for me to assure you to the contrary?' he asked, with a smile again lighting up his face.

"'But if,' I continued, 'I should say that the admiration I have manifested is sincere, that even in the short time I have seen her to-day, I have been deeply interested, and that I ardently desire her acquaintance.'

"'Why, señor, in that case, I should reply, that my sister is very highly honored by your favorable notice, and that I should do my possible to make you know each other better. If,' he continued, 'the case you have supposed be the fact, I think I can manage this matter, her old janitor to the contrary notwithstanding.'

"'I do say, then,' I replied, with enthusiasm, 'that the sight of Donna Clara has excited emotions in my bosom I have never felt before. I shall be the happiest man in the world to have the privilege of knowing her.'

"'Attend, then. Don Carlos is absent at Havana, and will probably remain so for a few days, until his wrist gets well; in the meantime, his sister acts as duenna over Donna Clara. She is quite a nice old lady, however, and allows my sister far greater liberty in her brother's absence than ordinarily, as, for instance, to-day. I will get her to permit Clara to spend a few days at my villa down the bay—Alvarez himself would not dare to refuse this request, if—' my companion stopped short, and his brow clouded. 'But I forget the best of the matter,' he continued a moment after, in a lively tone. 'Señor, you will dine with me to-morrow, and spend a day or two with me. I keep bachelor's hall, but I have an excellent cook, and some of the oldest wine in Cuba. Beside, you will see my sister. Will you honor me, Mr. Stewart?'

"I was transported, 'Senior,' I cried, 'if Capt. Hopkins—'

"'Oh! a fig for Hopkins,' shouted my volatile friend, 'he shall dine with me too. He is an ancient of mine—he dare not refuse to let you go. But there is the fine old sinner himself in the verandah of the café; now we can ask him.'

"We rattled up to the door, to the infinite astonishment of my worthy skipper, who was greatly surprised to see Don Pedro and his second mate on such excellent terms, and all without his intervention.

"'Hillo!' he shouted, 'how came you two sailing in company?'

"The worthy old seaman was briefly informed of my afternoon's adventures over a bowl of iced sangaree; and when Pedro made his proposition about the morrow's dinner, and a little extra liberty for me, the reply was very satisfactory.

"'Sartainly, sartainly,' said he, 'and I hope good will come of it.'

"'Well, then,' said Pedro, 'as this matter is settled, I must take my leave. I shall expect you early, gentlemen. Adieu'—and, with a graceful bow, my new friend entered his carriage, and was driven away.

"'Now,' said the skipper, after our boat's crew had cleared their craft from the crowd at the stairs, 'now, Stewart, what do you think of the pirate's daughter, my boy? D'ye see, I never happened to sight her, though her brother and I have been fast friends these five years. Is she so handsome, Ben.'

"'Full as good-looking as the figure-head of the Cleopatra,' replied I.

"'Egad! you don't say so!' exclaimed the skipper, who thought that the aforesaid graven image on the cut-water of his old ship, far excelled the Venus de Medici in beauty of feature and form. 'She must be almighty beautiful; and then, my son, she is as rich as the Rajah of Rangoon, who owns a diamond as big as our viol-block. Did you fall in love pretty bad, Ben?'

"'Considerable,' I replied, grinning at the old gentleman's simplicity.

"'By the laws, then, if you don't cut out that sweet little craft from under that old pirate's guns, you're no seaman, that's a fact! Egad! I should like to do it, and wouldn't ask only one kiss for salvage, and you'll be for having the whole concern.'

"The next morning I packed my portmanteau and dressed myself with unusual care. About ten the skipper and myself got aboard the gig, and pushed off for Don Pedro's villa, which lay on the eastern shore of the bay, two miles from the city, and nearly opposite the barracks and hospital.

"We landed at a little pier at the foot of the garden; the house, embowered in a grove of orange and magnolia trees, was close at hand. Don Pedro met us on the verandah.

"'Welcome! welcome!' he cried; 'how do you like the appearance of my bachelor's hall? But come, let's go in; my sister has arrived, and knows that I expect Captain Hopkins and Mr. Stewart, of the Cabot, and,' he added, with a significant smile, 'nothing more, though she has been very curious to find who the gentlemen is with whom I entered the church yesterday.'

"We entered the drawing-room, and there, sure enough, was my angel of the cathedral-porch. Her eye fell upon me as I passed the doorway, and, by the half start and blush, I saw that I was plainly recognized, and with pleasure. We were formally presented by Don Pedro, and, after the old skipper had been flattered into an ecstasy of mingled admiration and self-complacency, Donna Clara turned again to me.

"'I do not know that I ought to have bid you welcome, Mr. Stewart,' she said, with an arch smile, 'you treated my poor guardian shamefully, I am told.'

"'Yes,' cried Pedro, 'and just to let you know what a truculent person he is, know that yesterday he more than insinuated that he would serve me in the same way that he did Don Carlos.'"

"Land ho!" sung out the man on the look-out.

"Where away?" shouted Langley, walking forward.

"Pretty near ahead, sir; perhaps a point on our starboard bow, sir."

"Land ho!' bellowed the man at the wheel, "just abeam, sir, to loo-ard."

"What had I better do, sir?" inquired Langley, of the mate.

"I was looking at the chart just at night, and I should reckon the land ahead might be Mayaguana, and the Little Caycos under our lee."

"Head her about west, then; but we shall have the lead going soon."

We filled away before the wind, which had now veered again to the eastward, and in a few moments were dashing bravely on, sailing right up the moon's wake toward the Pass, the land lying on each side of us like blue clouds resting on the horizon. We settled ourselves again on the hatch, lighted fresh cigars, and the mate resumed his broken yarn.

"It is getting late, boys, almost six bells, and I must cut my story a little short. I will pass over the dinner, the invitation to stay longer, Captain Hopkins' consent, the undisguised pleasure and the repressed delight of Clara at this arrangement, and I will pass over the next two days, only saying that the memory of them haunts me yet; and that though at the time they seemed short enough, yet when I look back upon them, it is hard to realize they were not months instead of days, so much of heart experience did I acquire in the time. I found Clara to be every thing which the most exacting wife-hunter could wish—beautiful as a dream. Believe me, boys, I do not now speak with the enthusiasm of a lover, but such beauty is seldom seen on the earth. Added to this, she was intellectual, refined, accomplished, and highly educated. I went back four years in life, and with all the enthusiasm of a college student I raved of poetry and romance. We read German together, and we talked of love in French; and the musical tongue of Italy, it seemed to me, befitted her mouth better than her own sonorous native language, and when in conversation she would look me one of those dreamy glances which had at the first set my heart in agitation, it perfectly bewildered me. You needn't