still more astonished and delighted by this speech, did not suffer his looks to tell his anterior acquaintance with Dr. Boston; and he was at a loss to think whether the admiral was in jest or earnest by looking pleased and being jocular. A short time, however, made him acquainted with the discovery, and the admiral, whose pride at penetrating the thickest mystery was greatly inflated by the accidental discovery he had made of his daughter's stratagem with Charles, told the doctor, that "Miss Caroline had attributed both the stratagem and its success to his own introduction and excellent character of Lieutenant Stuart."

The doctor congratulated the admiral" on the decided manner in which he had acted on his opinion;" for Mr. Marshall thought that the speech he had made on a former occasion to the admiral on marriages being made in

heaven, had led him into the path of duty; and Miss Caroline he felicitated on the object of her choice, as though he had never favoured her interviews with that object.

Mr. Marshall took Charles by the hand, and gave him joy on the honour the admiral had conferred on him by so precious a treasure as Miss Caroline Springfield, who, of all the young ladies he had ever seen, was a most affectionate daughter, and he was certain would make a most affectionate wife, and reward the heroism of one of our country's brave defenders.

Charles bowed, and thanked the loquacious doctor. He was obliged to him, besides.-The admiral's table this day presented really a family dinner. There was present only Charles, besides himself and Caroline, and Charles was now one of the family, as far as the good intentions of the father,

the love of the daughter, and his own esteem and gratitude could go. The holy vows of marriage might give him a title to the name of son; but the Great Author of that awful and indissoluble bond of reciprocal fidelity, could himself discover in the secret workings of Charles's mind no emotions but those of a son to Admiral Springfield, and a willing and powerful protector to Miss Caroline.

After dinner, the admiral and our hero went into a long argument on the superstition of seamen; but as this is not the place to detail the arguments advanced for and against the brave tars' credulousness in beings superior to men, but inferior even to the angels; we must, for the present, leave this interesting people, to inform the reader, that from the drawing-room Miss Caroline, after her father's embrace, and the lieutenant's "Adieu, my love;"

accompanied by Harriet Foote, went up stairs to bed, the admiral declaring soon after they were gone, that himself would see Charles to his room; and when they got there, the admiral had nothing to say, but that "Caroline slept in the adjacent chamber; however, he hoped the lieutenant would not think of visiting his prize till the lords commissioners of the church gave him his warrant."

The next morning before breakfast, the admiral came to his library, and here he met Charles and Caroline actually studying botany. He listened to the lieutenant, and was now more charmed with him than ever, to think that he really knew something of plants and flowers, and shrubs and trees.

It was breakfast time; and now their conversation turned on a cousin of Charles's, who was in the Guards.

Charles told candidly why he kept so little of his cousin's company. The admiral remonstrated on the force of prejudice, and showed him that the naval arm of our isle was at no time inferior to our military arm: it was immaterial to him whether he and Charles belonged to the right or the left arm; the latter required as much strength in supporting the weight of Britannia's ægis against the blows of our foes, as the former in hurling through Gallia or Iberia's chosen bands the thunderbolts of war.

"For," said the admiral, " is not our fleet to Britannia what Medusa's head was to Minerva? Does not our fleet strike terror into the hearts of our foes? Let us then glory that Britannia has placed on her ægis bull dogs more destructive to the enemies of our commerce and liberty, and their howl