It appears that he inherits from a
great-uncle (one Silvanus Tellworthy) certain American estates,
of which you and a Captain Runacles, of Harwich, are the legal
administrators. I fancy this has been kept from you; and, if so,
a descent upon Harwich may be used to furnish you with a
provision for your old age. Still, there is a present danger
that you may be declared a traitor, and your goods confiscate,
which would spoil all. This (since naught has been proved
against you, and the aim of your journey not known) you may avert
by keeping your eyes open at Dunquerque, and writing a report of
it to Wm. Such a report, aptly drawn, may not only check
Portland, but justify me, as knowing your intent from the start,
and that it was a move for Wm's, good.--M.
On reading this Captain Salt cursed several times; and paced the deck
in meditation for a whole afternoon. Then an idea struck him.
During the week that followed he made excellent progress in the
affections of the officers of _L'Heureuse_. He had a face full of
_bonhomie_, an engaging knack of seeming to flatter his companions
while he merely listened to their talk, a fund of anecdote, and
(as we know) a voice for singing that conciliated all who had an ear
for music.
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