ON THE SAD (?) SEA WAVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 175, 15 July 1876, Page 4

ON THE SAD (?) SEA WAVES.

, [contributed.]

IPart n.

(f Well, Jobkins, of all the lugubrious stories I ever heard, yours is the worst. I didn't ask you for a sentimental history of a case of hhthisis-— if I wanted to read anything in that line I would go to my booksellers. Hang it, man, have you nothing more lively than that to tell ?" So spoke Baldwin, who, I may observe, is a friend of mine of more than a quarter of a century standing, aud therefore privileged to say the most disagreeable tbingß in the plainest manner — a privilege of which he often avails himself. Baldwin, I should have remarked, is a bachelor, a circumstance upon' which be frequently congratulates himself, when he contrasts his position with mine—the father of nine, with anticipations. "Baldwin," said I, "I have been endeavoring, but it appears in vain, to appeal to the higher feelings of your nature" "AU right, old boy, appeal away, only if there is to be much more of that sort of thing, I fear I shall go to sleep." " There will not be any more of that 'sort of thing ' as you call it ; I will try to make the remainder of my story of such a character as to be suitable to my audience. 1 have given you the tragedy, now comes the farce." "I always did prefer faroe to tragedy, so fire away I— only don't try to be pathetic, there's a dear boy 1" Thus encouraged, I proceeded with tbe narrative : On the arrival of the Elbe at Southampton, Aubrey, of course, communicated the news of his wife's death to his aod her relatives, but absolutely refused their pressing invitation to pay them a visit. He seemed overwhelmed by his loss. Although he knew no one in Southampton except the captain and officers of the ship who resided there, he took up h'S abode at an hotel near the docks, and announced his determination to return to the West Indies by tbe same steamer in which his wife bad died, and engaged his passage at once. He daily visited the steamer while she was lying in dock, and true to his resolution we found him on board when we came down, by that miserable morning-train from Waterloo, which brings down so many sad hearts [Here Baldwin interrupted me with the coarse remark — " Oh 1 drop that !"] On board one of these large Transatlantic steamers, travellers, who like myself have crossed the Atluntic eight times, generally find Borne old acquaintances.' It was so this time, and before we had been twenty- four hours at sea we got up a whist-table. The table was composed of four men besides myself, and it was then proposed by oue j of the men who had known Aubrey in Cuba, to get him to join us as sixth, as it was thought that by this means we should be able to rouse him from his estate of melancholy and depression. We were soon put in possession of the hißtory of his aad loss, and we sincerely sympathised with him. When the proposal was made, he at first refused to join us, but at last gave a most reluctant consent after being much urged. Our table was composed, with one exception, of men who had been resident in 'the Tropics for years, and who were all characters in their way. There was .the Major — an ex-officer of the army, who was managing a sugar estate belonging to a wealthy cousin —the Professor, as we called him, because he wore spectacles, and looked co wise — who was an Oxford man and a barrister going out on some legal business — a young Jew named De Cordova belonging to one of the oldest Spanish families in Jamaica, and who once casually observed tbat he could trace bis pedigree in the direct male line to King David — Che had a lovely eister on board, by the way), and an elderly gentleman, who from his remarkable likeness to tbe present Pope, was always called His Holiness. De Cordova, who was the youngest and liveliest of the group, was the only one who had any personal acquaintance with Aubrey. De Cordova was a capital whist player, but for one fault — he would talk. Whenever he failed in trumps be would murmur " 'Twas ever thus from childhood's hour; " when the j oce, two, three, and four fell together, he would ejaculate " Kiss the dealer," and make some remark or other about everything that was played. It was useless to remonstrate with him, for be would immediately assume a look of the sternest gravity and say, "If there is any one thing to which I object, it is talking at whist, it is unpardonable." I can well remember the first game Aubrey played with us. He and His Holiness were partners, I was looking on. His Holiness played King of Clubs, and when it came to Aubrey's turn be put on the ace. The fourth player put on a small one, and His Holiness look up the trick. Aubrey immediately led the three of clubs. His partner said not a word, but laid his cards face downwards on the table, and looked up towards the ceiling as if imploring help from above to bear the infliction of such a partner, He said not a word until the hand was played out, when he blandly remarked, " No doubt you had some good reason, Mr Aubrey, for putting your Ace ol Clubs on my King, when you held the three, but it lost us the trick, aud our B :ore was four." But he never forgot mis unfortunate mistake, and when Aubrey had gone un deck be made •ome savage remark about it. We apologiied for him on the score of his

recent bereavement when he cynically remarked, " I don't think that is any excuse. She died more than a fortnight ago, and he must have got over the first exuberance of his joy by this time.*' But he was an old bachelor. Now, among the passengers there was a very nice looking little widow going to St Lucia, and also a girl of about eighteen who bad been home to be educated, and who was returning to her father's estate at Barbados — white people of course. The widow was, I thick, acting as s sort of chaperon to the girl, at any rate they were always together. Before we had been a week at sea it was noticed that Aubrey was nearly always to be found at one particular part of the deck, near the wheel, on the port side, where these two sat. He used to be employed at first in conversation, then he began reading to them. His spirits marvel lously improved, and his whist likewise, and he really played very well— which was remarked to His Holiness, but he only granted, " The more inexcusable then for him to have put his ace on my kiog." By-and-bye it became the regular thing, when it was his turn to cut in at the table, to have to fetch him from the port side of the upper. deck. Once or twice, when we had sent one of the stewards for him, he kept us waiting. At last he formally expressed a wish that we would take someone elae in his place, as be really did not care to play whist any more. "Gad!" remarked his Holiness, when this was reported to him, "The widow's hooked him — serve him right, by Jove, sir. The man who could put afte — — " "There, that will do, we don't want to hear that again — are you never going to forget it ? " interrupted the Major. I really don't think you are justified in supposing that Aubrey could so far forget the decencies of life 'as to make love (o another woman only three weeks after his first wife's death, and on board the very ship she died in. Your Holiness is prejudiced against Aubrey." " Besides," the Professor interposed, "it is impossible to say that he. is paying any attention to the widow, for that Barbados girl is always sitting with her ; and he says no more to the one than to the other." However, the matter was soon set at rest by the aetounding intelligence, which flew round the ship like lightning, that Aubrey had gone on deck, found the Barbados girl asleep in her deck chair, and then and there, in the presence of several passengers, earned a pair of gloves by kissing her. The disconsolate and apparently heartbroken widower— the man whose Bffection for his wife was so intense that he could not bear to leave the ship in which she had spent her last hours — bad actually been making love to a girl of eighteen, aDd kißsing her, within a few feet of (he spot where his wife had breathed her last. The women on board were furious; " brute," was the mildeßt term they applied to Aubrey, and what they said about the girl was even more severe. The men too, folt that he had behaved abominably, and though be was not actually sect to Coventry, he was left very much to the soociety of the maid and the widow. The latter bore it all beautifully. She never showed by word or sign that she had bad the slightest design on Aubrey, and it is only doing her justice to say that beyond allowing him to talk to her and her protegee, there was no proof that she ever had. She defended the girl, and stood by them both to the last, and was authorised, before we reached St. Thomas, to state that they were positively engaged to be married. Aubrey was at first desirous of changing bis route, and instead of going on to hie home in Cuba with his child and her nurse, he wanted to accompany his dearly-beloved to St. Lucia, and be married at once. But when the old black nurse heard of this little arrangement ehe stormed, and scolded and cried, and went about complaining to every one of us who could talk Spanish j about the cruelty, of the father deserting his motherless child in this way that Aubrey was obliged to relinquish the scheme. She asked one of the | passengers how she could express her opinion on Miss -'a conduct in English, and he very improperly told her that the correct English was " beastly shame." So she repeated this time after time, until she had learned it by heart, and then went up and down the deck, quite within hearing of Miss , muttering " beastly shame — beastly shame," to the great amusement of the other passengers. When we reached St. Thomas the turtle doves had to part. He went on to Cuba, ehe took the Eider, the intercolonial steamer, down (he Islands to St. Lucia. He came on board the Eider with her, and when the time of our departure was close at hand, the captain of the Elbe also came on board to wish us all good-bye. We were lying alongside the huge hull of the Elbe, when our late captain called out to one of the stewards, who was idling on deck, " Bring me a clean sheet, James." " Beg pardon, sir," said the man. " Bring me a clean sheet here. I tell you." The astonished waiter complied with the order, and brought the sheet on board the Eider. We were all assembled on the quarter-deck, wondering what he meant. if Mr Aubrey," said he, « I've sent for this sheet to wipe up the tears I am sure you will shod at parting from Miss ." With this he gave him a meaning look, which pointed the

reference to the tears he had shed at , another parting only one month before. They looked uncomfortable, I can tell you, but we all agreed that it j served them right. She was a most disagreeable girl, and the severest punishment that Aubrey could have was to marry her. " Well," said Baldwin, did he marry her?" ' " I make no doubt of it, but I never heard any more of either of them. The parting remark of his Holiness was "It is a most disgusting affair, but what can you expect from a man who puts his Ace on his partner's King, and then returns him a small one ?" THE END. Nelson. R.H.B.