Percival Keene: Complete

The Honourable Captain Delmar, at the time I am speaking of, commanded a frigate employedupon what was designated channel service, which in those days implied that the captain held a seatin the House of Commons and that he voted with the ministry; and further, that his vote might, when required, be forthcoming, the frigate was never sea-going, except during the recess. It must beadmitted that H.M. ship Paragon did occasionally get under weigh and remain cruising in sight ofland for two or three days, until the steward reported that the milk provided for the captain's tablewas turning sour; upon which important information the helm was immediately put up, and thefrigate, in a case of such extreme distress, would drop her anchor at the nearest port under her lee.Now as the Paragon was constantly at Spithead, Captain Delmar was very attentive in visiting hisaunt, who lived at Madeline Hall; ill-natured people asserted, because she had so fine an estate in herown gift. Certain it is, that he would remain there for weeks, which gave great satisfaction to the oldlady, who liked her nephew, liked attention, and was even so peculiar as to like sailors. But it must beobserved that there was another person at the mansion who also liked the captain, liked attention, and liked sailors; this was Miss Arabella Mason, a very pretty young woman of eighteen years of age, who constantly looked in the glass merely to ascertain if she had ever seen a face which shepreferred to her own, and who never read any novel without discovering that there was a remarkablelikeness between the heroine and her pretty se