The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 201: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

1502 THE STEAM PACKET. that’s what I am afraid of. But who told yeu that I had sibs anything 2”’ “‘ Why, you were telling me how you declared abet is, to ee when Tom came up with the alarm of the gendarmes.” ‘““My dear fellow,” said Buckram, ‘‘ you are most opaque, aad therefore you stultify yourself. I certainly declared my affection for Miss Belinda Pifpaf, and received every encouragement from the old chap; but'as for confessing anything else, I should isis. have been such a thorough blockhead. You have misunderstood me.” _ **Then what the deuce can have put old Pifpaf up. to the game which we were playing?” said the captain, whose mind was now more perplexed than ever. ‘‘ Do you think you let out anything pearl while in your cups?”’ “God knows! but I should say not, ” replied the tailor, vainly en- deavouring to recall to his recollection the conversation which had occupied his last hour’s conviviality with Mr. Pifpaf on He preeeding evening. ‘Well, all the conjecture in the world will not amend our present position,” said the captain, rising. ‘‘One consolation is that we have got some money in our pockets; and we must push on for Calais without delay. If we find from Tom Gibbins’s account that the game 18 all up, I shall be off to Paris: if we hear anything favour we can act accordingly. So now—ez avant: march!” The two gentlemen, with elongated countenances, and suspicious glances wandering right and left, struck out of the main road, and continued their journey across the fields, following, as nearly as they were enabled to judge the accuracy of their path, the direction towards Calais. The day was. beautiful—so different from the storm of the preceding one, that it seemed as if the serenity of the weather had never been disturbed. The sun was not too powerful; and yet the sky was as blue above as ever canopied a sphere. It was one of those days which happy and grateful minds never forget. Its memory comes over them in other desponding days and dark and dreary nights, when the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint, and the sun, and the moon, and the stars give not their light ;—it comes as a token of the ever-smile which the clouded breast cannot always feel beaming above it from on high ;—it comes as a sign of the power of Him in whom alone we live and move, to give at any moment perfect bliss to our thirsting souls ;—it comes as a sweet harbinger of what perchance to-morrow may bring with it ;—it comes as an antepast of what eternity shall be, if we do but trust and hope, in the stormy: hour, and follow on through Gomicbooks (E(0)