252 A VOYAGE IN THE NORTH SEAS, 



care with which she treasured up those passages in his favourite au- 

 thors which he admired most, and the earnest attention with which 

 she hung upon his words, were surely all indicative of a stronger 

 sentiment than mere sympathy, with one whose congeniality of taste 

 made him a more pleasant companion than the rude mariners. There 

 was, too, the tell-tale blush which shot into her cheek at his slightest 

 approval; the affectionate epithet, half-spoken, and then lost in the 

 sweet confusion which followed the involuntary expression; and, more 

 than all, the tearful glance of sympathy Avhich, in arousing from his 

 frequent melancholy reveries, he caught fixed on his face ; all these, 

 recurring day by day, assured him that the sentiments entertained 

 for him by the lovely stranger were more than those of common 

 friendship. It was with a mixture of pride and sorrow that Frank 

 became aware of Flora's love for him pride that even in the humble 

 sphere in which he moved, he should have gained the affections of 

 one altogether so lovely and amiable and sorrow, that his unhappy 

 fate prevented him from accepting the rich boon which was within his 

 grasp. In his own eye, if not in that of the world, he was a mur- 

 derer ; and now, amid his remorse, the circumstances in which the 

 crime had been committed, seemed, instead of palliating, to make it 

 of a blacker dye. Why should a word spoken in anger and under 

 the influence of wine, have been washed out by the blood of the 

 speaker ? A little restraint upon his feelings at the time, patience 

 for a few hours, and an apology for the harsh epithet, would have 

 followed in the morning, leaving his name unstained even in the fan- 

 tastic and immoral code of honour which the world supports. And 

 should he now, with the weight of one dreadful crime upon his soul, 

 add yet another in cold blood, that of consigning to a creature like 

 Flora, whose nature and education fitted her for smiles and gentle 

 thoughts, the care of a heart shattered by remorse and sunk in incu- 

 rable despondency ? To this question his honour gave a prompt 

 negative, though his heart involuntarily spoke a different language. 

 He determined, therefore, carefully to guard against the possibility of 

 betraying the sentiments he entertained for his fair companion, and 

 then sat down by her side to hear her read that exquisite scene be- 

 tween Miranda and Ferdinand, with which the third act of the Tern- 

 pest commences, till he found that 



"The harmony of her tongue did into bondage 

 Bring his too diligent ear/ 



One fine sunny day, towards the end of June, Arundel was walk- 

 ing alone on the quarter-deck, ruminating on the strange destiny 

 which had driven him into the desolate scenes which surrounded 

 him, and now and then stopping in his walk to watch the mano2iivres 

 of a flock of sea birds which were skimming the waters at a little 

 distance from the ship. A small iceberg, to which the Labrador was 

 moored, flanked by floating fields of salt- water ice, almost shut out 

 the view to seaward, while, between the ship and the shore, the sea 

 was perfectly clear and smooth. The seamen had spent some days 

 of severe toil, having been extremely successful in falling in with fish, 

 and were now, for the most part, below decks, sleeping off their 



