A kind, true heart, a spirit high,
That cannot fear and will not bow,
Is flashing in his manly eye
And stamped upon his brow.--Halleck.
In a few minutes Capitola came bounding up the stairs again, exclaiming joyously: "Here he is, uncle! Here is Herbert Greyson! Come along, Herbert; you must come in and see my new uncle!" And she broke into the room, dragging before her astonished guardian a handsome, dark-eyed young sailor, who bowed and then stood blushing at his enforced intrusion.
"I beg your pardon, sir," he said, "for bursting in upon you in this way; but----"
"I dragged him here willy-nilly," said Capitola.
"Still, if I had had time to think I should not have intruded."
"Oh, say no more, sir. You are heartily welcome," exclaimed the old man, thrusting out his rugged hand and seizing the bronzed one of the youth. "Sit down, sir, sit down. Good Lord, how like!" he added, mentally.
Then, seeing the young sailor still standing, blushing and hesitating, he struck his cane upon the floor and roared out: "Demmy, sit down, sir! When Ira Warfield says sit down, he means sit down!"
"Ira Warfield!" exclaimed the young man, starting back in astonishment--one might almost say in consternation.
"Ay, sir; Ira Warfield! That's my name. Never heard any ill of it, did you?"
The young man did not answer, but continued gazing in amazement upon the speaker.
"Nor any good of it either, perhaps--eh, uncle?" archly put in Capitola.
"Silence, you monkey! Well, young man, well, what is the meaning of all this?" exclaimed old Hurricane, impatiently.
"Oh, your pardon, sir; this was sudden. But you must know I had once a relative of that name--an uncle."
"And have still, Herbert; and have still, lad. Come, come, boy; I am not sentimental, nor romantic, nor melodramatic, nor nothing of that sort. I don't know how to strike an attitude and exclaim, 'Come to my bosom, sole remaining offspring of a dear departed sister' or any of the like stage playing. But I tell you, lad, that I like your looks; and I like what I have heard of you from this girl, and another old woman, now dead; and so--But sit down, sit down! demmy, sir, sit down, and we'll talk over the walnuts and the wine. Capitola, take your seat, too," ordered the old man, throwing himself into his chair. Herbert also drew his chair up.