Chapter VI
THE SMUGGLING YACHT
Cecilia returned to the cabin, to ascertain whether her aunt was morecomposed; but Mrs Lascelles remained on deck. She was much pleased withPickersgill; and they continued their conversation. Pickersgill enteredinto a defence of his conduct to Lord B.; and Mrs Lascelles could notbut admit the provocation. After a long conversation, she hinted at hisprofession, and how superior he appeared to be to such a lawless life.
"You may be incredulous, madam," replied Pickersgill, "if I tell youthat I have as good a right to quarter my arms as Lord B. himself; andthat I am not under my real name. Smuggling is, at all events, no crime;and I infinitely prefer the wild life I lead at the head of my men, tobeing spurned by society because I am poor. The greatest crime in thiscountry is poverty. I may, if I am fortunate, some day resume my name.You may, perhaps, meet me, and, if you please, you may expose me."
"That I should not be likely to do," replied the widow; "but still Iregret to see a person, evidently intended for better things, employedin so disreputable a profession."
"I hardly know, madam, what is and what is not disreputable in thisconventional world. It is not considered disreputable to cringe to thevices of a court, or to accept a pension wrung from the industry of thenation, in return for base servility. It is not considered disreputableto take tithes, intended for the service of God, and lavish them away atwatering-places or elsewhere, seeking pleasure instead of doing Godservice. It is not considered disreputable to take fee after fee touphold injustice, to plead against innocence, to pervert truth, and toaid the devil. It is not considered disreputable to gamble on the StockExchange, or to corrupt the honesty of electors by bribes, to doingwhich the penalty attached is equal to that decreed to the offence ofwhich I am guilty. All these, and much more, are not considereddisreputable; yet, by all these are the moral bonds of society loosened,while in mine we cause no guilt in others--"
"But still it is a crime."
"A violation of the revenue laws, and no more. Observe, madam, theEnglish Government encourage the smuggling of our manufactures to theContinent, at the same time that they take every step to preventarticles being smuggled into this country. Now, madam, can that be a_crime_, when the head of the vessel is turned north, which becomes _nocrime_ when she steers the opposite way?"
"There is a stigma attached to it, you must allow."
"That I grant you, madam; and as soon as I can quit the profession Ishall. No captive ever sighed more to be released from his chains; but Iwill not leave it, till I find that I am in a situation not to bespurned and neglected by those with whom I have a right to associate."
At this moment, the steward was seen forward making signs to MrsLascelles, who excused herself, and went to him.
"For the love of God, madam," said Maddox, "as he appears to be friendlywith you, do pray find out how these cutlets are to be dressed; the cookis tearing his hair, and we shall never have any dinner; and then itwill all fall upon me, and I--shall be tossed overboard."
Mrs Lascelles desired poor Maddox to wait there while she obtained thedesired information. In a few minutes she returned to him.
"I have found it out. They are first to be boiled in vinegar; then friedin batter, and served up with a sauce of anchovy and Malaga raisins!"
"First fried in vinegar; then boiled in batter, and served up withalmonds and raisins!"
"No--no!" Mrs Lascelles repeated the injunction to the frightenedsteward; and then returned aft, and re-entered into a conversation withPickersgill, in which for the first time, Corbett now joined. Corbetthad sense enough to feel, that the less he came forward until hissuperior had established himself in the good graces of the ladies, themore favourable would be the result.
In the mean time Cecilia had gone down to her aunt, who still continuedto wail and lament. The young lady tried all she could to console her,and to persuade her that if they were civil and obedient they hadnothing to fear.
"Civil and obedient, indeed!" cried Miss Ossulton, "to a fellow who is asmuggler and a pirate! I, the sister of Lord B.! Never! The presumptionof the wretch!"
"That is all very well, aunt; but recollect, we must submit tocircumstances. These men insist upon our dining with them; and we mustgo, or we shall have no dinner."
"I sit down with a pirate! Never! I'll have no dinner--I'll starve--I'lldie!"
"But, my dear aunt, it's the only chance we have of obtaining ourrelease; and if you do not do it Mrs Lascelles will think that you wishto remain with them."
"Mrs Lascelles judges of other people by herself."
"The captain is certainly a very well-behaved, handsome man. He lookslike a nobleman in disguise. What an odd thing it would be, aunt, ifthis should be all a hoax!"
"A hoax, child?" replied Miss Ossulton, sitting up on the sofa.
Cecilia found that she had hit the right nail, as the saying is; and shebrought forward so many arguments to prove that she thought it was ahoax to frighten them, and that the gentleman above was a man ofconsequence, that her aunt began to listen to reason, and at lastconsented to join the dinner-party. Mrs Lascelles now came down below;and when dinner was announced they repaired to the large cabin, wherethey found Pickersgill and Corbett waiting for them.
Miss Ossulton did not venture to look up, until she heard Pickersgillsay to Mrs Lascelles, "Perhaps, madam, you will do me the favour tointroduce me to that lady, whom I have not had the honour of seeingbefore?"
"Certainly, my lord," replied Mrs Lascelles. "Miss Ossulton, the aunt ofthis young lady."
Mrs Lascelles purposely did not introduce _his lordship_ in return, thatshe might mystify the old spinster.
"I feel highly honoured in finding myself in the company of MissOssulton," said Pickersgill. "Ladies, we wait but for you to sit down.Ossulton, take the head of the table and serve the soup."
Miss Ossulton was astonished; she looked at the smugglers, and perceivedtwo well-dressed gentlemanly men, one of whom was apparently a lord, andthe other having the same family name.
"It must be all a hoax," thought she; and she very quietly took to hersoup.
The dinner passed off very pleasantly; Pickersgill was agreeable,Corbett funny, and Miss Ossulton so far recovered herself as to drinkwine with his lordship, and to ask Corbett what branch of their familyhe belonged to.
"I presume it's the Irish branch," said Mrs Lascelles, prompting him.
"Exactly, madam," replied Corbett.
"Have you ever been to Torquay, ladies?" inquired Pickersgill.
"No, my lord," answered Mrs Lascelles.
"We shall anchor there in the course of an hour, and probably remainthere till to-morrow. Steward, bring coffee. Tell the cook these cutletswere remarkably well dressed."
The ladies retired to the cabin. Miss Ossulton was now convinced that itwas all a hoax; but said she, "I shall tell Lord B. my opinion of theirpractical jokes when he returns. What is his lordship's name who is onboard?"
"He won't tell us," replied Mrs Lascelles; "but I think I know; it isLord Blarney."
"Lord Blaney you mean, I presume," said Miss Ossulton; "however, thething is carried too far. Cecilia, we will go on shore at Torquay, andwait till the yacht returns with Lord B. I don't like these jokes; theymay do very well for widows, and people of no rank."
Now, Mrs Lascelles was sorry to find Miss Ossulton so much at her ease.She owed her no little spite, and wished for revenge. Ladies will govery far to obtain this. How far Mrs Lascelles would have gone, I willnot pretend to say; but this is certain, that the last innuendo of MissOssulton very much added to her determination. She took her bonnet andwent on deck, at once told Pickersgill that he could not please her orCecilia more than by frightening Miss Ossulton, who, under the idea thatit was all a hoax, had quite recovered her spirits; talked of her prideand ill-nature, and wished her to receive a useful lesson. Thus, tofollow up her revenge, did Mrs Lascelles commit herself so far, as to beconfidential with the smuggler in return.
"Mrs Lascelles, I shall be able to obey you, and, at the same time, tocombine business with pleasure."
After a short conversation, the yacht dropped her anchor at Torquay. Itwas then about two hours before sunset. As soon as the sails werefurled, one or two gentlemen, who resided there, came on board to paytheir respects to Lord B.; and, as Pickersgill had found out fromCecilia that her father was acquainted with no one there, he receivedthem in person; asked them down in the cabin; called for wine; anddesired them to send their boat away, as his own was going on shore. Thesmugglers took great care, that the steward, cook, and lady's maid,should have no communication with the guests; one of them, by Corbett'sdirection, being a sentinel over each individual. The gentlemen remainedabout half-an-hour on board, during which Corbett and the smugglers hadfilled the portmanteaus found in the cabin with the lace, and they wereput in the boat. Corbett then landed the gentlemen in the same boat, andwent up to the hotel, the smugglers following him with the portmanteaus,without any suspicion or interruption. As soon as he was there, heordered post-horses, and set off for a town close by, where he hadcorrespondents; and thus the major part of the cargo was secured.Corbett then returned in the night, bringing with him people to receivethe goods; and the smugglers landed the silks, teas, &c., with the samegood fortune. Everything was out of the yacht except a portion of thelace, which the portmanteaus would not hold. Pickersgill might easilyhave sent this on shore; but, to please Mrs Lascelles, he arrangedotherwise.
The next morning, about an hour after breakfast was finished, MrsLascelles entered the cabin pretending to be in the greatestconsternation, and fell on the sofa as if she were going to faint.
"Good heavens! what is the matter?" exclaimed Cecilia, who knew verywell what was coming.
"Oh, the wretch! he has made such proposals!"
"Proposals! what proposals? what! Lord Blaney?" cried Miss Ossulton.
"Oh, he's no lord! he's a villain and a smuggler! and he insists that weshall both fill our pockets full of lace, and go on shore with him."
"Mercy on me! Then it is no hoax after all; and I've been sitting downto dinner with a smuggler!"
"Sitting down, madam!--if it were to be no more than that--but we are totake his arm up to the hotel. Oh, dear! Cecilia, I am ordered on deck,pray come with me!"
Miss Ossulton rolled on the sofa, and rang for Phoebe; she was in astate of great alarm.
A knock at the door.
"Come in," said Miss Ossulton, thinking it was Phoebe; when Pickersgillmade his appearance.
"What do you want, sir? Go out, sir! go out directly, or I'll scream!"
"It is no use screaming, madam; recollect that all on board are at myservice. You will oblige me by listening to me, Miss Ossulton. I am, asyou know, a smuggler, and I must send this lace on shore. You willoblige me by putting it into your pockets, or about your person, andprepare to go on shore with me. As soon as we arrive at the hotel, youwill deliver it to me, and I then shall reconduct you on board of theyacht. You are not the first lady who has gone on shore with contrabandarticles about her person."
"Me, sir! go on shore in that way? No, sir, never! What will the worldsay? the Hon. Miss Ossulton walking with a smuggler! No, sir, never!"
"Yes, madam, walking arm-in-arm with a smuggler: I shall have you on onearm, and Mrs Lascelles on the other; and I would advise you to take itvery quietly; for, in the first place, it will be you who smuggle, asthe goods will be found on your person, and you will certainly be put inprison, for, at the least appearance of insubordination, we run andinform against you; and, further, your niece will remain on board as ahostage for your good behaviour, and if you have any regard for herliberty, you will consent immediately."
Pickersgill left the cabin, and shortly afterwards Cecilia and MrsLascelles entered, apparently much distressed. They had been informed ofall, and Mrs Lascelles declared, that, for her part, sooner than leaveher poor Cecilia to the mercy of such people, she had made up her mindto submit to the smuggler's demands. Cecilia also begged so earnestly,that Miss Ossulton, who had no idea that it was a trick, with muchsobbing and blubbering, consented.
When all was ready, Cecilia left the cabin; Pickersgill came down,handed up the two ladies, who had not exchanged a word with each otherduring Cecilia's absence; the boat was ready alongside--they went in,and pulled on shore. Everything succeeded to the smuggler'ssatisfaction. Miss Ossulton, frightened out of her wits, took his arm;and, with Mrs Lascelles on the other, they went up to the hotel,followed by four of his boat's crew. As soon as they were shown into aroom, Corbett, who was already on shore, asked for Lord B., and joinedthem. The ladies retired to another apartment, divested themselves oftheir contraband goods, and, after calling for some sandwiches and wine,Pickersgill waited an hour, and then returned on board. Mrs Lascelleswas triumphant; and she rewarded her new ally, the smuggler, with one ofher sweetest smiles. Community of interest will sometimes make strangefriendships.
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