"Shiver my topsails if ever I saw two such young giants in all my born days ! why lads, thee be grown out of all knowledge for certain sure. " "Except the knowledge of being known to one at least, sir, who does not appear to have lost sight of us, if we may judge of his kindness at the present moment," uttered Alfred, returning the warm pressure of his protector's hand with eyes moistened with a tear, (the genuine offspring of heartfelt gratitude,) while his foster-brother Wolf, experienced the same sensation, although he did not express it in a similar way, but exclaimed--
"Yes sir; we can do any thing now to serve you. We are no longer boys; Alfred is not so delicate and chicken-hearted as he used to be, and I am as stout as a lion."
"And as fierce as a turkey-cock," cried the fisher, viewing the fine formed and athletic limbs of Wolf, as he stood before him with unspeakable delight and satisfaction, while he replenished his pipe with tobacco, " Well lads, be'st thee hungry? I warrant me thee canst make shift to eat a slice of roast beef, and a thumping piece of plum pudding, before thee goest to roost ; but I say , lads, does not thee wonder what is become of the best piece of furniture at Herring Dale? look about my lads, and see if thee dost not miss something as I do now?"
It was evident both to Alfred and Wolf, that in uttering these words, the fisher had some difficulty in suppressing a painful, and to him involuntary sensation, and that a sigh was broke in suffocating smoke, before be added, "But it be all for the best, I do suppose it be all for the best. Shiver my topsails! grieving's a folly, as the old song says; but my Jess was the pride of my eyes, and the comfort of my heart, and thee wert both mortal fond of thy sister Jessy, wast not thee , lads?"

" For look ye , my boys," uttered he one evening as, they sat at supper; "while time is gathering snow fast round my temples, summer buds are only beginning to weave a chaplet round yours. In one word, lads, I am getting old and mayhap I shall be a sheer hulk before your cock-boats are ready for sailing. I have got a few shiners left, and I want to make them of service to you before I drop off the hooks . Now there is Jessy provided for. I gave her something to keep the pot a boiling , though Sam did not want it, yet as I do suspect, by the look of Jessy's waist, that there is a little cock-boat on the stocks , so it will do for a christening. Then there is Olive, poor wench , she is provided for--" [The fisher here made an affecting pause; and brushed off a hasty and involuntary tear which had started to his eyes, as quick as he possibly could, though not without having recourse to a pipe of tobacco as the most expedient way of driving away so painful retrospections. And he slowly pronounced] "and there is no doubt but the villain who provided her with the cold bed she now lies in, has met with a provision too." Another pause ensued, when his countenance assumed a brighter aspect; and he addressed Alfred with, " Well , lad, and now I must think of providing for thee and thy brother Wolf. You must have a small matter to make hay while the sun shines,--so lad, tell us what course thee would like to follow? and thee , Wolf, what wouldst like to be?"

" Thee be a good tempered little soul, shiver my topsails if thee be'nt ," uttered he, caressing the lovely infant, and very carefully placing it on his knee, looking at Jessy all the while, who had recovered her self-possession, and was now seated, as much as to say I am sorry I have offended thee; and at length he exclaimed, (Sam having stept out of the room,) "Jessy, I do love thee wench, and it do break my heart when I do see a tear trembling in that eye, that I do know thy father's unkindness has caused to flow. Ah Jess, Jess! thee were the darling of my heart, when thee were just such another little dumpling as this on thy old father's knee. Shiver my topsails, I could hang myself up like a dog for saying a word that was cross-grained to thee, my Jess. Thee were the tenderest hearted little soul when thee were a baby, and so thou hast been ever since, and as kind a wench to thy old father as ever breathed; so come here Jess and give me a kiss, and say no more about the christening, for I shall go because it do please thee, but shiver my topsails if it do please me."

" Thee be a good tempered little soul, shiver my topsails if thee be'nt ," uttered he, caressing the lovely infant, and very carefully placing it on his knee, looking at Jessy all the while, who had recovered her self-possession, and was now seated, as much as to say I am sorry I have offended thee; and at length he exclaimed, (Sam having stept out of the room,) "Jessy, I do love thee wench , and it do break my heart when I do see a tear trembling in that eye, that I do know thy father's unkindness has caused to flow. Ah Jess, Jess! thee were the darling of my heart, when thee were just such another little dumpling as this on thy old father's knee. Shiver my topsails, I could hang myself up like a dog for saying a word that was cross-grained to thee , my Jess. Thee were the tenderest hearted little soul when thee were a baby, and so thou hast been ever since, and as kind a wench to thy old father as ever breathed; so come here Jess and give me a kiss, and say no more about the christening, for I shall go because it do please thee , but shiver my topsails if it do please me."

"'Tis too bad of you, young gentlemen, dang it , if it beant now . He was never in such a good humour in all his days, and now he be blowing a blast under the gateway louder than a boatswain's whistle, and shivering his topsails like fury. I thought how it would be when once he began to shiver the topsails. Its all over with him then, and how you'll catch it, dang it, you'll both catch it, and sweetly too, or my name's not Davy."

But it was not till Jessy had bestowed the fondest caresses on her beloved father, that he appeared to recover his usual temperature of disposition; but when he had partaken abundantly of his favourite beverage, with a plentiful supply of pipes and tobacco, he began to converse with his accustomed jocularity of humour, and shiver his topsails; for it must be observed, that however offensive to the ears of delicacy or refinement a seaman's phraseology may be, that "shiver my topsails" was as natural to Peter Blust, as that which often proceeds from more polished lips or wiser heads, and certainly more crafty hearts; and that it was much better for Peter to make use of the language of a seaman, than to utter oaths or imprecations of a blasphemous nature, which even the votaries of fashion so improperly use and make choice of in preference to any other.

"Which I do truly hope may be prosperous and happy," cried Rebecca, "and that you may come home one of these good-looking days a general in the army. Lauk a mercy, what changes may happen in all that time, Mr. Wolf! Here's this dear boy will be grown quite a man mayhap , and there's my lady, though she's married now, she may not be married then. Lord Montague has very bad health, and do you know Mr. Wolf, whenever I have looked at his pale face, I don't know what the dickens possesses me, but he'll never live to have old bones, or my names not Becky. Why then in that case, you know Mr. Wolf, my lady might marry again. There's no law against that, thank heaven, if there was, lauk a mercy what would the world come to. Well then , as I was a saying , my lady might be married again; she is so young and so beautiful, that every body would be for snapping her up in quick time. Then you know Mr. Wolf, as I was a saying, if you was a general in the army, and my lady a--a-- a--. Lauk a mercy Mr. Wolf, what's the matter with you?"