'I don't know,' said Mr. Hale, after a pause. 'She ought to see

him if she wishes it so much, for I believe it would do her much

more good than all the doctor's medicine,--and, perhaps, set her

up altogether; but the danger to him, I'm afraid, is very great.' 'All these years since the mutiny, papa?' 'Yes; it is necessary, of course, for government to take very

stringent measures for the repression of offences against

authority, more particularly in the navy, where a commanding

officer needs to be surrounded in his men's eyes with a vivid

consciousness of all the power there is at home to back him, and

take up his cause, and avenge any injuries offered to him, if

need be. Ah! it's no matter to them how far their authorities

have tyrannised,--galled hasty tempers to madness,--or, if that

can be any excuse afterwards, it is never allowed for in the

first instance; they spare no expense, they send out ships,--they

scour the seas to lay hold of the offenders,--the lapse of years

does not wash out the memory of the offence,--it is a fresh and

vivid crime on the Admiralty books till it is blotted out by

blood.' 'Oh, papa, what have I done! And yet it seemed so right at the

time. I'm sure Frederick himself, would run the risk.' 'So he would; so he should! Nay, Margaret, I'm glad it is done,

though I durst not have done it myself. I'm thankful it is as it

is; I should have hesitated till, perhaps, it might have been too

late to do any good. Dear Margaret, you have done what is right

about it; and the end is beyond our control.' It was all very well; but her father's account of the relentless

manner in which mutinies were punished made Margaret shiver and

creep. If she had decoyed her brother home to blot out the memory

of his error by his blood! She saw her father's anxiety lay

deeper than the source of his latter cheering words. She took his

arm and walked home pensively and wearily by his side.




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