My old friend Watson is as
pleased as I am. And the best part of the business is that Frank is
going to give up the sea and become my partner. His father owns the
_Good Venture_, and, being a careful man, has laid by a round sum,
and he settled to give him fifteen hundred pounds, which he will put
into the business."
"That is a capital plan, Captain Dave. It will be an excellent thing
for you to have so young and active a partner."
"Watson has bought the house down at Stepney that we have been living
in, and Frank and Nellie are going to settle there, and Watson will
make it his headquarters when his ship is in port, and will, I have
no doubt, take up his moorings there, when he gives up the sea. The
wedding is to be in a fortnight's time, for Watson has set his heart
on seeing them spliced before he sails again, and I see no reason for
delay. You must come to the wedding, of course, Cyril. Indeed, I
don't think Nellie would consent to be married if you were not there.
The girl has often spoken of you lately. You see, now that she really
knows what love is, and has a quiet, happy life to look forward to,
she feels more than ever the service you did her, and the escape she
had. She told the whole story to Frank before she said yes, when he
asked her to be his wife, and, of course, he liked her no less for
it, though I think it would go hard with that fellow if he ever met
him."
"The fellow died of the Plague, Captain Dave. His last action was to
try and revenge himself on me by giving me the infection, for,
meeting me in the streets, he threw his arms round me and exclaimed,
'I have given you the Plague!' They were the last words he ever
spoke, for he gave a hideous laugh, and then dropped down dead.
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