All this may appear very absurd; but a little reflection will convince the reader to the contrary.  There is a serious responsibility on a captain of an India man, who takes charge of perhaps a dozen young women, who are to be cooped up for months in the same ship with as many young men.  Love, powerful everywhere, has on the waters even more potent sway, hereditary, I presume, from his mother’s nativity.  Idleness is the friend of Love; and passengers have little or nothing to do to while away the tedium of a voyage.  In another point, he has great advantage, from the limited number of the fair sex.  In a ball or in general society, a man may see hundreds of women, admire many, yet fall in love with none.  Numbers increase the difficulty of choice, and he remains delighted, but not enslaved.  But on board of a ship, the continued presence of one whom he admires by comparison out of the few—­one who, perhaps, if on shore, would in a short time be eclipsed by another, but who here shines without competition—­gives her an advantage which, assisted by idleness and opportunity, magnifies her attractions, and sharpens the arrow of all conquering Love.  Captain Drawlock perhaps knew this from experience; he knew also that the friends of one party, if not of both, might be displeased by any contract formed when under his surveillance, and that his character and the character of his ship (for ships nowadays have characters, and very much depend upon them for their well doing) might suffer in consequence.  Strict as he might therefore appear, he was only doing his duty.

Grace being requested from Mr Ferguson, he indulged the company with one quite as long as usual; rather too long, considering that the ship was very unsteady, and the ladies had to cling to the table for support.  But Mr Ferguson was not a sailor, or he would have known that it is the custom to reduce the grace in proportion with the canvas.  When the royals are set, we submit to a homily; under double-reefed topsails, a blessing; but under storm stay-sails, an ejaculation is considered as orthodox.

“Mrs Ferguson, will you permit me to send you a little mulligatawny?” said Captain Drawlock:  “If you prefer it, there is sheep’s head broth at the other end of the table.”

“Then I will take a little of the broth, if you please, Captain Drawlock.”

“Mr Mathews, Mrs Ferguson will take some broth.  I am sorry, Mrs Ferguson, that our table is so ill supplied; but a long voyage and bad weather has been very fatal to our hen-coops.”

“Indeed, Captain Drawlock, you need not apologise.”  Nor was there any occasion, for the table was loaded.

“Perhaps Miss Laura Revel will permit me to send her a slice of this mutton?” said the obsequious colonel.

“No, I thank you; I have eaten nothing but mutton lately.  I think I shall be a sheep myself soon,” added the young lady, tittering.

“That would be very much against your inclination, I should think, Miss Laura,” observed Mrs Ferguson, tartly.