A CONSPIRACY, WHICH ENDS SATISFACTORILY TO ALL PARTIES--PRIVATEERING IS
ABANDONED, AND CAPTAIN LEVEE AND PHILIP SERVE THE KING.
The night passed away in attempts at analysing the real feelings of Miss
Trevannion, and also my own towards her; and now that I was to be
separated from her, I discovered what I really had not before imagined,
that my future happiness was seriously endangered by my sentiments
towards her; in short, dear Madam, that I was most seriously in love.
"And now," thought I, "of what avail is it to have made this discovery
now, except it were to convince me, as Miss Trevannion had said, that it
were better that I were gone."
I did not fail to call to mind her observation about my unknown
parentage and family, and this I reflected upon with pleasure, as it was
the chief objection raised by her, and, at the same time, one that I
could proudly remove, from my birth being really more distinguished than
her own. Should I make it known? How could I?--we should, probably,
never meet again. All this, and much more, was canvassed in my mind
during the night, and also another question of more real importance,
which was, what I was to do, and where I was to go? On this last point
I could not make up my mind, but I determined that I would not leave
Liverpool for a day or two, but would take up my quarters at my old
lodgings, where I had lived with Captain Levee.
As the day dawned, I rose from the bed, and, taking my valise on my
shoulder, I went softly down-stairs, opened the street-door, and,
shutting it again carefully, I hastened down the street as fast as I
could. I met nobody, for it was still early, and arrived at the
lodging-house, where I had some trouble to obtain admittance; the old
lady at last opening the door in great dishabille.
"Captain Elrington! Is it possible," exclaimed she, "why, what's the
matter?"
"Nothing, Madam," replied I, "but that I have come to take possession of
your lodgings for a few days."
"And welcome, Sir," replied she; "will you walk up-stairs while I make
myself more fit to be seen. I was in bed and fast asleep when you
knocked; I do believe I was dreaming of my good friend, Captain Levee."
I went up-stairs and threw myself on the old settee which was so
familiar to me, and somehow or another, in a few minutes I was in a
sound sleep. How long I might have slept on I cannot tell, but in less
than an hour I was waked up by loud talking and laughter, and a few
seconds afterwards found myself embraced by my brother Philip and
Captain Levee. The Arrow had anchored at break of day, and they had
just come on shore. I was delighted to see them, as every one is when
he meets with friends when he is in distress. I briefly stated how it
was that they found me there, and when breakfast was on the table, I
entered into full details of what had passed, with the exception of Miss
Trevannion having entered my room--that I considered too sacred to
repeat to any one.
"You know, my dear Elrington," said Captain Levee, "that I have not the
scruples which you have relative to privateering, but still I respect
the conscientious scruples of others. There is no excuse for Mr
Trevannion's conduct, and I cannot think but there is something else at
the bottom of all this. You haven't been making love to his daughter,
or, what would amount to the same thing, she has not been making
advances to you?"
"I have not dared the first, Levee, and you do not know her, to suppose
her capable of the latter."
"Well, if she had done so, there would have been no harm done," replied
he; "but I will say no more as you look so grave. Philip and I will now
call upon Mr Trevannion; and while I engage the old gentleman, Philip
shall run alongside of the young maiden, and between the two we shall
get our bearings and distance, and know how the land lies--and I will
tell you more, Elrington, although I have no objection to be captain of
a privateer, I certainly consider the command of a king's ship more
reputable; and if I could manage to get the Arrow hired into the king's
service (I still remaining in command of her), I should prefer it being
so. At all events, I'll side with you, and that will drive the old
gentleman on a dead lee-shore. Come along, Philip--we shall be with you
in two hours, Elrington." With these words Captain Levee left the room,
followed by my brother.
It was nearly three hours before they returned, and then I received the
following narratives: Captain Levee, as he sat down, said, "Now, Philip,
we'll hear your account first."
"Well, mine is soon told," replied Philip; "I had made up my mind how to
act, and did not tell Captain Levee what I intended to do. When Mr
Trevannion met us in the room behind the counting-house he appeared very
much flurried: he shook hands with Captain Levee, and offered me his
hand, which I refused, saying, `Mr Trevannion, I have just seen my
brother, and I hardly need say that nothing will induce me to remain in
your employ. I will, therefore, thank you for my wages at your
convenience.'
"`Hey-day, young man,' cried he, `you give yourself strange airs. Well,
Sir, you shall have your discharge; I can do without such snip-jacks as
you are.'
"`Snip-jacks! Mr Trevannion,' replied I; `if I must say it, we are
better born and better bred than you or any of your connexions, and you
were honoured by our service.'"
"You said that, Philip?--then you were wrong!"
"I told the truth."
"Still, you should not have said it; we took his service, and
therefore--"
"We are not snip-jacks," interrupted Philip, "and his calling names
brought on the reply."
"You must admit the provocation, Elrington," said Captain Levee.
"Well, go on, Philip."
"`Indeed,' said Mr Trevannion, in a great passion; `well, then, I will
soon rid myself of the obligation. Call this afternoon, Master Philip,
and you shall receive your wages. You may now quit the room.'
"I did so, and put my hat a-cock to annoy him."
"So far his narrative is quite correct," said Captain Levee;--"now go
on."
"Well," said Philip, "instead of turning out of the house, I turned into
it, and went to the young lady's sitting-room. I opened the door
softly, and found her with her hand up to her head, looking very sedate
and sorrowful. `Master Philip,' said she, `you startled me; I am glad
to see you--when did you arrive?'
"`This morning, Miss Trevannion.'
"`Well, sit down and bear me company for a time. Have you seen your
brother?'
"`I have, Miss Trevannion,' replied I, still remaining on my feet, `and
I have just seen your father. I come now to bid you farewell. I have
left the privateer, and shall never join her again; perhaps I may never
see you again either, which, believe me, I am truly sorry for.'
"She covered her eyes with her hand, as she leant on the table, and I
saw a tear fall as she said--`It is a sad business altogether, and has
distressed me very much. I hope your brother does not think that I
blame him; tell him that I do not in the least, and that he must forget
my behaviour to him when we parted. I did him injustice, and I beg his
pardon. Tell him so, Philip.'"
"Did she say those words, Philip?"
"Yes, word for word, and looked like an angel when he said so. I
replied that I would certainly deliver her message, but that I must not
remain, for fear of Mr Trevannion finding me with her, as he ordered me
to quit the house."
"`Indeed,' said she; `what can be the matter with my poor father?'
"`Why, Miss Trevannion,' said I, `he was very angry, and he had reason,
for I was very saucy, and that's the truth.'
"`Why, Philip, what did you say to him?'
"`Oh, I hardly know,' replied I, `but I know that I said more than I
ought; for I was very angry at my brother's dismissal. Good bye, Miss
Trevannion.'
"Miss Trevannion was taking a ring off her finger as I said good bye,
and I thought she was going to give it me as a keepsake; but, after a
little hesitation, she put it on again, and then held out her hand,
saying, `Good bye, Master Philip, let us not part in anger, at all
events.' I took her hand, bowed, and turned away to quit the room; when
I was at the door I looked round, and she was sitting with her face in
her hands and I think she was weeping. I went out into the street, and
waited for Captain Levee, and there's an end of my story."
"Well, now I'll give you my portion, Elrington.--As soon as Philip went
out of the room, Mr Trevannion said, `That's a most impudent boy, and I
am glad that he is gone. You are of course aware that his brother has
left me, and the cause of our disagreement?'
"`Yes, Sir,' replied I, drily, `I have heard the whole particulars.'
"`Did you ever hear of such ridiculous scruples?' said he.
"`Yes, Sir, I heard them before, and so did you, when he gave up the
command of the privateer, and I respected them, because I knew that Mr
Elrington was sincere. Indeed, his observations on that head are
undeniably true, and have had great weight with me; so much so, that I
intend to enter into the king's service as soon as I possibly can.'
"I wish you had seen the look of Mr Trevannion when I said this--he was
stupefied. That I, Captain Levee, who had commanded his vessels so
long--I, the very _beau ideal_ of a privateersman, a reckless,
extravagant dare-devil, should also presume to have scruples, was too
much for him. `Et tu, Brute,' he might have exclaimed, but he did not;
but he stared at me without speaking for some time; at last he said, `Is
the golden age arrived, or is this a conspiracy?'
"`Neither one nor the other, Sir,' I replied; `I follow privateering
because I can do no better; but as soon as I can do better, I shall
leave it off.'
"`Perhaps,' said Mr Trevannion, `you would wish to resign the command
at once. If so, I beg you will not make any ceremony.'
"`I have not wished to put you to any inconvenience, Mr Trevannion,'
replied I, `but as you kindly beg me to use no ceremony, I will take
advantage of your offer, and resign the command of the Arrow this day.'"
"Surely, Levee, you have not done so?"
"Yes, I have," replied Captain Levee, "and I have done so, in the first
place, out of friendship to you, and, in the second, because I wish to
be employed in the king's service, and my only chance of obtaining that
wish is doing what I have done."
"How will that effect your purpose?"
"Because the men have sailed so long with me, that they will not sail
under any other person, if I tell them not. Mr Trevannion will find
himself in an awkward position, and I think we can force him to hire his
vessel to government, who will gladly accept such a one as the Arrow."
"That I believe, if from her reputation alone," replied I. "Well,
Levee, I thank you very much for this proof of sincere friendship. The
plot thickens, and a few days will decide the question."
"Very true, and now let me finish my story. `I am afraid,' said Mr
Trevannion, in a very sarcastic tone, `that I shall not be able to find
any one to replace you in this moral age, Captain Levee; but I will
try.'
"`Sir,' I replied, `I will now answer your sarcasm. There is some
excuse for ignorant seamen before the mast, who enter on board of
privateers; they are indifferent to blood and carnage, and their
feelings are blunted: there is some excuse even for decayed gentlemen
like me, Mr Trevannion (for I am a gentleman born), who, to obtain a
maintenance without labour, risk their lives and shed their blood; but
there is no excuse for those who, having already as much wealth and more
than they can require, still furnish the means and equip vessels of this
description to commit the destruction which they do, for the sake of
gain. There is a sermon, Sir, for you from a captain of a privateer,
and I now wish you good morning.' I then got up, and, making a profound
bow, I quitted the room before Mr Trevannion made any reply, and here I
am. Now all we have to do is to wait quietly, and see what takes place;
but first, I shall go on board the Arrow, and let them know that I have
quarrelled with the owner. The men are not very well pleased as it is
with their want of success these two last voyages, and it will require
but little to blow up the discontent into a mutiny. Come, Philip, I
shall want you to assist me. We shall be back to dinner, Elrington."
When I was again alone, I had time to consider what had passed. What I
chiefly dwelt upon was the interview, between Philip and Miss
Trevannion--her message to me--her hesitation--and keeping the ring. I
could not help surmising that our feelings towards each other were
reciprocal, and this idea gave me infinite delight, and repaid me for
all that had passed. Then my brother's hasty declaration to her father,
that we were better born and bred than he was, would certainly be
repeated by him to his daughter, and must make an impression. And what
would Mr Trevannion do? Would he give way to the unanimous opinion
against him? I feared not, at least without another struggle. All
these questions occupied my thoughts till the return of Captain Levee
and Philip from the privateer. They had well managed their business.
The crew of the Arrow had come to an unanimous resolution that they
would not sail with any other captain but Captain Levee; and that if he
did resign the command of the vessel, as soon as their wages were paid,
and they received their share of prize-money, they would leave, and
enter into the king's service.
That afternoon Mr Trevannion sent for the officer next in command, to
give him the command of the vessel; but as he went over the side, the
men, expecting that he was sent for for that purpose, told him that they
would serve under no one but Captain Levee, and that he might acquaint
the owner with their determination. This put the finishing blow to Mr
Trevannion. As soon as this was communicated to him, he was wild with
rage in being thus thwarted in every way. As I afterwards was informed,
he went even to his daughter, acquainted her with all that had passed,
and gave vent to his indignation, accusing her of being a party in the
conspiracy. But this was to be his last effort: the excitement had been
too great, and after dinner he felt so unwell that he went to bed. The
next morning he was in a raging fever, and at times delirious. The
fever was so violent that the doctors had much to do to reduce it, and
for ten days Mr Trevannion was in great danger. At last it was got
under, leaving him in a state of great weakness and exhaustion, and his
recovery was anything but rapid. Humphrey, the porter, had brought us
this intelligence; as now there was no one to transact the business of
the house, and the poor fellow did not know what to do, I desired him to
apply to Miss Trevannion for directions, and told him that, although I
would not enter the house, I would, if she wished it, see to the more
important concerns which could not be neglected. She was then attending
her father, and sent me a message, requesting, as a favour to her, that
I would assist all I could in the dilemma. I consequently sent for the
books, and gave orders, and made the necessary arrangements, as I had
done before I had been dismissed by Mr Trevannion.
It was nearly five weeks before Mr Trevannion had sufficiently
recovered to mention anything about business to him, and then it was
that he learnt from his daughter that I had carried it on for him during
his illness, and that everything had gone on as well as if he had acted
for himself. Although Miss Trevannion had not expressed a wish that I
should call, she had sent Humphrey for my brother Philip, to let us know
the dangerous state in which her father was, and after that Philip
called every day, and was the bearer of messages to me. As her father
recovered, she told Philip that he had expressed himself very strongly
as to his conduct towards me, and had acknowledged that I was right in
my scruples, and that he was astonished that he had not viewed
privateering in the same light that I did. That he felt very grateful
for my considerate and kind conduct in conducting the business during
his illness, and that as soon as he was well enough he would call upon
me, to beg my pardon for his conduct towards me. Miss Trevannion also
told him that her father had said that he considered his illness a
judgment upon him, and a warning to open his eyes to his sacrifice of
principle to the desire of gain, and that he received it accordingly
with humility and thankfulness; that it was his intention to offer the
privateer vessels to government, and if they did not hire them, he
should dispose of them in some other way. This was very agreeable
intelligence, and was the source of much conversation between Captain
Levee and me.
About a fortnight afterwards, Mr Trevannion, who was still weak, sent
me a billet, in which he said that he was afraid that his anxiety to see
me and his being still confined to his room, rather retarded his
recovery, and begged as a favour that I would accept his acknowledgment
in writing, and come to see him. That I consented to do, and repaired
to his house accordingly. I found him in his room, sitting in his
dressing-gown, and he had evidently suffered much.
"Mr Elrington," said he, "I trust to your excellent nature to accept my
apologies for the very unjust treatment you have received at my hands.
I am ashamed of myself and I can say no more."
"I beg, Mr Trevannion, that you will say no more; I accept the return
of your friendship with pleasure," replied I; "I am sorry that you have
been so ill."
"I am not," replied he; "it is good for us to be chastised at times. My
sickness has opened my eyes, and made me, I trust, a better man. May I
ask a favour of you?"
"Most certainly, Sir," replied I.
"It is that you will execute a commission for me, which is to go to
London on my account, see the government people who control the naval
affairs, and offer the Arrow as a hired vessel. You know all her
qualifies so well, and have kept her accounts so long, that you will be
able to furnish them with all necessary information. I should wish
Captain Levee to go with you, and, if you possibly can, make it a
condition that he is taken into the king's service, and appointed the
captain of her."
"I will do so with pleasure," replied I.
"One more favour I have to beg, Mr Elrington. When I so foolishly
quarrelled with you, you left a bag of money, to which you were fully
entitled from your good services, upon the table in the inner room. I
trust now that you will not mortify me by refusing it, or I shall think
that you have not really forgiven me."