The Two Supercargoes | Page 4

be
supposed. One of the vessels especially, which they had contributed to

fit out and to supply with goods, although not belonging to them, was
commanded by Mr Trunnion's brother--a Captain Roderick Trunnion,
of whose character I had heard from time to time mysterious hints
thrown out not much to his credit. He occasionally made his
appearance at Liverpool. He seemed to me to be a fine, bold, dashing
fellow, ready to do and dare anything he might think fit. He was like
several privateer captains I had met with, who set their own lives and
those of their followers at slight value, provided they could carry out
their undertakings. He gave, I believe, his brother, Mr Thomas
Trunnion, the partner in our firm, considerable cause for anxiety and
annoyance. The last time he had been on shore, in order to recover his
brother's confidence he endeavoured to make himself agreeable to the
other partners. Mr Swab, however, I know, did not trust him, as he
privately told Harry Bracewell on one occasion. "And don't you," he
added; "he is without principles; he always did what he chose
regardless of God or man. And he doesn't believe in God, or that any
man has a grain of honesty, nor does he, except when it suits him, boast
of having any himself."
Captain Trunnion, however, appeared to have insinuated himself into
the good graces of our senior partner, at whose house he was a frequent
visitor. He had a strong attraction there; for Lucy, Mr Crank's, only
child, was a sweet, amiable, pretty girl, and Captain Trunnion believed
that, could he win her, he should not only obtain a charming wife, but
become possessed, some day or other, of Mr Crank's property. Which
influenced him most I cannot say. All I know is, that he did not make
any progress in the affections of Miss Lucy, for a very good reason,
which he was not long in suspecting--that she had already given her
heart to some one else. That some one was my friend Harry Bracewell
Captain Trunnion had, however, gone away without suspecting who
was his rival.
My father and mother resided in Chester, so that I was received into the
house, as a lodger, of Mrs Bracewell; thus it was that I became more
intimate with Harry than I might otherwise have been. I also had an
opportunity of being constantly in the society of the widow's only
daughter, Mary--a charming little unaffected girl, full of life and spirits,

who treated me as her brother's friend, almost like a brother. For a long
time I also thought only of her as a sister, although, somehow or other,
I began at last to entertain the hope that, when I had by steady industry
obtained the means of making her my wife, she would not feel it
necessary to refuse me; and as my family was a respectable one, I had
no reason to fear that any objection would be raised by Mrs Bracewell
or Harry. Of my own family I need not speak, except of one
member--my brother Charley, who had gone to sea before I entered the
office, and was now a midshipman of some years' standing. He had
lately joined the "Rover" frigate, employed on the African station.
Charley and I had been fast friends and companions, as brothers should
be, when we were together, and when separated we constantly
corresponded with each other. I cannot say that I had any special
fondness for mercantile pursuits, or at all events for the work of an
office, having to sit for ten or twelve hours of the day on a high stool at
a desk, but yet I was thoroughly impressed with the fact that I must
gain my own livelihood, and that by working hard alone could I expect
to do so. Had the choice been given me, I should have preferred a life
in the open air, with the opportunity of travelling about and seeing the
world; but my father did not wish to have more than one son in the
navy, and Charley had been devoted as an offering to Neptune. I was,
however, very happy in my situation. Understanding what I was to do, I
took a pleasure in doing it well; and I spent my evenings happily in the
society of Mrs Bracewell and her son and daughter. We had generally
music and singing, now and then two or three visitors. Occasionally we
went out to Mr Crank's parties and those of other friends, so that our
lives were in no respects dull.
I enter into these details in order that more interest may be taken in the
rest of my narrative than might otherwise have been the case.
About an hour after Harry had reported