We were taken up to Chatham to the hotel, where we found Lady O’Connor and Virginia very much surprised, as may be imagined, at our being brought there wounded.  However, we were neither of us ill enough to go to bed, and had a sitting-room next to theirs.

This recapture made a great deal of noise.  At first the agent for the prize wrote down a handsome letter to us, complimenting us upon our behavior and stating that he was authorized to present us each with five hundred pounds for our conduct.  But Sir James O’Connor answered the letter, informing him that we claimed, and would have, our one-eighth, as entitled to by law, and that he would see us righted.  Mr. Wilson, whom we employed as our legal adviser, immediately gave the prize agent notice of an action in the Court of Admiralty, and, finding we were so powerfully backed, and that he could not help himself, he offered forty thousand pounds, which was one-eighth, valuing the cargo at three hundred and twenty thousand pounds.  The cargo proved to be worth more than four hundred thousand pounds, but Mr. Wilson advised us to close with the offer, as it was better than litigating the question; so we assented to it, and the money was paid over.

In a fortnight we were both ready to travel again.  Sir James O’Connor had remained a week longer than he intended to have done at Chatham on our account.  We now took leave of them, and having presented Virginia with five thousand pounds, which I had directed Mr. Wilson to settle upon her, we parted, the O’Connors and Virginia for Leamington, and Bramble and I for Deal.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

     Being the last Chapter, the Reader may pretty well guess the
     Contents of it.

“Tom, do you know that I very often find myself looking about me, and asking myself if all that has happened is true or a dream,” said Bramble to me, as we sat inside of the coach to Dover, for there were no other inside passengers but ourselves.  “I can’t help thinking that great good fortune is as astounding as great calamity.  Who would have thought, when I would, in spite of all Bessy’s remonstrances, go round in that ship with you, that in the first place we should have been taken possession of by a privateer in the very narrows (he was a bold cruiser, that Frenchman)?  After we were captured I said to myself, Bessy must have had a forewarning of what was to happen, or she never would have been, as I thought, so perverse.  And since it has turned out so fortunately, I can’t help saying how fortunate it was that we did not allow her to persuade us; for had we not both gone, nothing could have been done.  Well, I think we may promise Bessy this time when we meet her, that we will not trust ourselves to salt water again in a hurry.  What do you think, Tom?”

“No; I think the best thing I can do is to marry, and live on shore,” replied I.

“Yes, Tom, that’s it.  Give me your hand, you don’t know how happy you make me; we’ll all live together.  But where shall we live? for the poor little cottage that I thought quite big enough for us a month ago will not do now.”