"I am then the first to bring you the good news," I said; and I told him
in as few words as I could how Jerry had discovered who his parents
were, and that he might before long see one of them. He was naturally
eager to go on shore at once, but he could not desert his duty; so,
sending the boat back with a message to Susan, I remained on board till
the frigate with her prize went into harbour. Reginald was as much
rejoiced at his friend's prospects as Harry was himself. As soon as
they could get leave they accompanied me over to Ryde.
We landed at the very spot where, about twenty years before, I had
stepped on shore with Harry in my arms, all wet and draggled, followed
by the sheep which had saved his life. And now he stood by my side, a
fine, well-dressed young man, with the thorough cut of a naval officer.
He had had time to get rigged out in a new uniform, and looked
handsomer, I thought, than ever. Somebody else would think so, too, I
had a notion.
We hurried up to our cottage, where Susan was on the look-out for him.
He took her in his arms and kissed her, just as he would have done
before he went to sea.
"Mother," he said, "you are looking well, and thankful I am to come back
to you."
"You've another mother now, Harry," she said, gazing in his face, and
the tears fell from her eyes.
"I shall not love you the less," he answered, "though I had a dozen
mothers."
"There are more than her to share your love, Harry," she replied.
"Well, mother," he said, smiling, "I hope my heart is large enough for
all."
"That it is, I am sure, Harry," she answered; "and I'll not grudge what
you give to others."
Reginald had stayed outside the garden; when I looked out, I found that
he had gone off home. Harry cast a wistful glance in the same
direction; still he did not like to leave Susan in a hurry. She guessed
what was passing in his mind.
"I mustn't be keeping you here, Harry," she said, "so do you go after
Mr Reginald. Miss Fanny will be looking for you, and she won't thank
me if I keep you here. Now go, Harry, and bless you--bless you; my
heart's very happy at seeing you back, for I'm sure that all will turn
out as we wish it at last. You've had a sore trial, but you acted
rightly."
Harry, having given Susan another embrace and shaken me warmly by the
hand, bounded away after Reginald. I didn't offer to accompany him,
for, in truth, I could not have moved as fast as he did; but I followed
at my leisure, as the captain had told Susan he wanted to see me as soon
as I came on shore. As I got near the house, I caught sight of Harry
and Miss Fanny in the shrubbery, and from what I saw he had no reason to
doubt that she loved him as much as ever; and I am sure that she would
not have met him as she did, unless she had had the captain's leave to
receive him as her intended husband. Mr Reginald reached the house,
and got through the greetings with the captain and his mother, and other
sisters. A very happy party they looked, for he had a good account to
give of himself, though maybe he hadn't quite as much to boast of as had
Harry. From the way Harry was received when he at last made his
appearance with Miss Fanny by his side, I felt sure that all was right.
I had afterwards a long talk with the captain. He told me that he was
ready for a start as soon as Harry was at liberty. There was no time to
be lost, for we could not tell what tricks Mr Biddulph Stafford might
be playing in the meantime. As far as we knew, he had as yet no inkling
of what had occurred; but he was deep and cunning, according to Jerry's
account, and would move heaven and earth, if his suspicions were
aroused, to defeat our object. Some days, however, must pass before we
could begin our journey, as Harry could not quit his ship till she was
paid off. It was a question with us whether Mr Biddulph Stafford knew
that his nephew had been saved when the ship went down, or had found out
the name we had given him; if he did, he would soon learn that he had
come home again, and might possibly be on the look-out for him,
thinking, of course, that Harry was still ignorant of who he really was.
This idea came into the captain's head. He said that he thought it
would be well to tell Harry, that he might be on his guard against any
treacherous trick his uncle might endeavour to play him. I had not many
fears on the subject; still I agreed that it would be better to be on
the safe side.
Harry and Reginald spent that night on shore, and the next day returned
to Portsmouth. It was on the evening of that day, as I happened to be
passing the inn where Miss Stafford had left her boxes, when I caught
sight of a strange gentleman coming along the road, and looking about
him as if in search of some house or other. As I passed close to him I
looked in his face, and could not help fancying that he was very like
Harry, only much older, with a very different expression of countenance.
After I had passed him I turned round, when I saw him looking up at the
sign of the inn, and then go without further hesitation up to the door.
I walked on some little way, and stood watching the inn till he came out
again. As I again passed him I felt sure that he was no other than Mr
Biddulph Stafford, from the dark and troubled look I saw on his
countenance. He then went on into the town. As the wind was from the
north-east, and the tide was ebbing, I knew that no wherry was likely to
put off for some time to come, and that I should be able to fall in with
him again before he left the island. I accordingly entered the inn to
learn what I could from the landlord. He presently, taking me into his
private room, confessed that the stranger was no other than the man I
suspected. He had at once made himself known, and asked what had become
of the young lady's trunks, and seemed anxious to have them. The
landlord at once told him that he could not give them, seeing that they
were no longer in his possession, and that, for what he knew to the
contrary, they had long since been destroyed. At last, when he pressed
him, he told him that he had given them to two sailors to carry off into
the middle of the Channel and sink them, thinking that was the best way
of disposing of them. This seemed to satisfy him, and giving the
landlord a guinea, and telling him not to say anything about the matter,
he went off.
"That was not the truth, my friend," I observed.
"It was partly true," answered the landlord, "for you and the old
gentleman who came with you were seamen--I could swear to that; and how
should I know that you didn't sink them away there 'twixt this and
Portsmouth?"
I had no time to argue, the point with the landlord, though of course he
was wrong, as I had to look after Mr Biddulph Stafford. I found him on
the shore, trying to engage a wherry to carry him across to Portsmouth;
but none of the men would go, as it was blowing harder than ever, with a
nasty sea running. At last I heard him offer five guineas to anyone who
would cross. I knew by this that he must be in a desperate hurry.
"If you'll wait half an hour, sir, I'll do it," said the owner of a
large wherry, coming up to him; "we shall get across just as soon as we
should if we were to start now."
To this Mr Biddulph Stafford agreed, and I saw him go into an inn near
the beach, to get some refreshment I suppose, telling the man to call
him when he was ready. I now knew that I should have no difficulty in
ascertaining whether he had really gone, so I hastened back to the
captain, to tell him what I had discovered. He immediately wrote to
Harry, to tell him to get ready for a start, and to meet himself and me
at "The George," where we would call for him next morning, if we could
get across, on our way to Mr Pengelley's; adding, that the sooner we
could get him recognised by his mother and uncle the better, lest Mr
Biddulph Stafford should be taking steps to defeat us. The letter was
sent off by the mail-packet that night.
The captain agreed that it would be better that Susan should accompany
us, as her evidence was sure to be wanted; so, calling at our cottage on
my way back to the shore, I told her to pack up her traps and get a
woman to take care of the house during her absence. Though she didn't
like leaving home, she was willing to do anything for Harry's good, and
promised to be ready in time.
On returning to the beach I found that Mr Biddulph Stafford had just
put off from the shore, but, with the wetting and tossing he would get,
I felt pretty sure he wouldn't be ready to start till the next morning,
if even then.
I daresay Miss Fanny would rather have had Harry come back at once to
Ryde, but she was too wise to say anything about the matter. The next
morning was fine, and the captain, Susan, and I crossed to Portsmouth,
taking with us Miss Stafford's trunks, which I had had done up in
canvas, and painted in such a way that even should Mr Biddulph Stafford
get sight of them they might not be recognised by him. We found Harry
waiting for us at "The George." The ship had been paid off the previous
day, and he and Reginald were now free. The latter went back to Ryde
"to console Miss Fanny," as he said.
On making inquiries I found that Mr Biddulph Stafford was sleeping at
the hotel, and had not yet come out of his room, which convinced me that
he had been knocked up the previous day by sea-sickness, and also that
he did not know that we were trying to get ahead of him. The postchaise
being ordered, we at once started, and, travelling as fast as the horses
could get along, without any accident reached Mr Pengelley's. Harry
was of course very anxious to see his mother; and accordingly, leaving
Captain Leslie with Mr Pengelley, he and Jerry, with Susan and I, set
off for the old house where she and her father lived. Mr Pengelley,
Jerry told us, had already somewhat prepared her for the recovery of her
son.
As we approached the house we saw in the garden a fair lady dressed in
black, who, though thin and careworn, was still very handsome, attending
to an old gentleman seated under a tree in an arm-chair. I guessed at
once she must be Mrs Stafford. Harry, who had been on the box, got
down, while Jerry stumped forward, as fast as his wooden leg would let
him, to announce us. He had scarcely begun to speak when, the lady,
fixing her eyes on Harry, rushed forward.
"You are indeed my son!" she exclaimed, as Harry supported her in his
arms--for, as may be supposed, she was well-nigh overcome with
agitation. However, it is more than I can do to describe, all the
particulars of the meeting. Harry was also not a little agitated, but,
after some time, both he and Mrs Stafford became calm, and she then led
him forward towards the old gentleman in the chair, who was, as I of
course knew, her father, Mr Hayward. He glanced up at Harry, with a
look of astonishment in his countenance.
"Why," he said, "I thought he had been drowned long, long ago!"
It was evident that he took Harry for his father. It satisfied me that
Harry must be very like him. That he was so was further proved when
Mrs Stafford produced a miniature of her husband, which might have been
that of Harry--though, according to Susan's notion, it was not so
handsome. In the trunks, which Mrs Stafford opened in our presence,
she recognised, with many a sigh, various articles, and among them
another miniature was discovered still more resembling Harry. When Mrs
Stafford heard who Susan was, she embraced her as if she were her
sister, and the tears fell down from her eyes as she thanked her over
and over again for her loving treatment of Harry.
We left Harry with his mother, and returned to the house of Mr
Pengelley, who, with Captain Leslie, had been busy in collecting such
other evidence as was thought necessary. The next day Mr Pengelley
went for Harry, and took him and his mother to see Sir Mostyn Stafford,
whose intellects, though he was an old man, were still perfectly clear.
On Harry being introduced to him, after regarding him fixedly for a few
minutes he exclaimed, "There stands my nephew; had I not been told that
he was Henry's son, I should have known him instantly."
Mr Pengelley asked if he was ready to acknowledge him; he replied that
he should certainly do so. It appeared that he had been for some time
suspicious of Mr Biddulph Stafford, and was very glad to find an heir
who was likely to do more credit than that person to his name and title.
I have already spun my yarn to a greater length than I intended. I know
nothing of the law, and therefore cannot describe the legal proceedings
which took place; but all I know is, that the evidence we brought
forward was so overwhelming that Mr Biddulph Stafford was defeated, and
that Harry fully established his claim as heir to Sir Mostyn Stafford.
As may be supposed, Captain Leslie no longer objecting, Harry shortly
afterwards married Miss Fanny. A few weeks more passed, when, old Mr
Hayward dying, Mrs Stafford came to live with her son, who, before a
year was over, by the death of his uncle, succeeded to the estate and
title. No one was more pleased than Jerry with the result of his
exertions. It seemed as if his last task had been accomplished; he was
suddenly taken ill, and, though he lingered for some weeks, he gradually
sank. Whatever the sins and failings of his youth, he had sincerely
mourned for them, and now, enjoying the strong hope of a true Christian,
he died. Harry and I followed the old man to his grave; Susan, who had
been summoned to give evidence at the trial, returned with me after some
time to Ryde, where we have since lived on, having seen another long war
brought to a glorious conclusion.
One of my chief amusements is to describe to the members of another
generation the battles I have seen fought, the adventures I have gone
through, and, what I find interests them more than anything else, to
repeat the account I have given in this book of "The Loss of the _Royal
George_."