A long, low whistle escaped from Lord Harry Dermond, who immediately walked up to me, raised his hat, and commenced a very disagreeable sort of a dialogue, by saying—­“Your servant, Mr. Wallingford!  We meet under very unusual circumstances, and somewhat often.  The last time was at a rather interesting moment to me, and one in which I was so much engaged, that I had not leisure properly to pay my respects to you.  Mr. Clements, I have a little business to transact with this gentleman, and must ask the favour of your company and his, for a few minutes, in your cabin.”

No objection could be raised to this request; and I followed the two officers into the Briton’s cabin.

Chapter XXV.

  O I hae scarce to lay me on,
  If kingly fields were ance my ain;
  Wi’ the moor-cock on the mountain-bree,
  But hardship na’er can daunton me.

  Scottish Song.

There was an air of cool deliberation about Lord Harry Dermond, which satisfied me I should have to pass through a trying ordeal; and I prepared myself for the occasion.  Nothing was said until all three of us were in the after-cabin, when Clements and his visiter took seats on the sofa, and a motion was made to me to occupy a chair.  Then Lord Harry Dermond commenced the discourse, in a manner more serious than I could have wished.

“Mr. Wallingford,” he said, “there is little need of preliminaries between you and me.  I recollected your ship, when the Black Prince and Speedy were in the act of closing with the Frenchmen, three months since; and I need scarcely say that the manner in which she got back to the place where I then saw her, requires an explanation at your hands.”

“It shall be given to you, my lord.  Believing you had no right to send in the Dawn, and knowing that a detention of any length would prove my ruin, I regained possession of my own by the best means that offered.”

“This is at least frank, sir.  You mean to be understood that you rose on my people in the night, murdered them, and that you subsequently lost your vessel from a want of force to take care of her.”

“This is partly true, and partly a mistake.  I certainly should not have lost my ship had I been as strong-handed in the gale in which she was destroyed, as she was the day she left home:  and she would have been as strong-handed in that gale, had we never fallen in with the Speedy.”

“Which is an indirect manner of saying that the wreck was owing to us?”

“I shall very directly say, that I think it was; though by indirect means.”

“Well, sir, on that point it is not probable we shall ever agree.  You cannot suppose that the servants of the king of Great Britain will submit to your American mode of construing public law; but will easily understand that we leave such matters to our own admiralty judges.  It is a matter of more moment to me, just now, to ascertain what has become of the officers and men that were put in charge of your ship.  I saw the vessel, some time after I put Mr. Sennit and his party on board you, in your possession, (that we ascertained by means of our glasses;) and you now admit that you retook your vessel from these men.  What has become of the prize-crew?”