“Indeed!” cried Miss Wewitz, judging from the name that the gentleman alluded to some young lady-friend of his resident in that quarter of the kingdom, and smiling blandly at the bare idea of the chance of adding the said Maria to the list of her parlour-boarders. “Yes,” returned the shipping agent; “our ‘MARIA’ was as pretty a little thing as ever you set eyes on; but, you see, she was so queer about the head, we couldn’t get her to steer the right course any how.” “Bless me!” exclaimed the astonished Miss Wewitz, “you don’t say so.” “Yes,” continued the shipping agent, leaning back in the easy chair, and swinging his seals round and round; “but that’s a very common fault. Why, there was our ‘ELIZA,’ that’s being overhauled now, she was so cranky, that I’m sure she wanted ballast enough for six; but then, you see, she was so long in the back, that she was always a-missing her stays.” “Dear me!—poor thing! she found them a great support to her, I dare say,” observed the ingenuous Miss Wewitz, fancying that the said Eliza was none other than a daughter of her visitor, and a young lady suffering under weakness of the spine. “But gentlemen in my way of business,” continued the shipbroker, “always expect these kind of casualties. Now, only this last season, there was my ‘Saucy Jane,’ that was coming from Russia with as much tallow and hides as she could carry, when, hang me, if she didn’t go ashore at Portsmouth; and the captain didn’t do his duty to her, and so she was abandoned there.” “Lord bless my heart, how shocking!” exclaimed the moral Miss Wewitz; “but those seaport towns are dreadful places for all young persons; and maybe, sir, there was not that strict attention paid to her in her early days, that is so necessary to future well-being.” “Oh, yes; but my Saucy Jane, you see, had every attention paid to her that was requisite,” responded the pompous shipping agent. “She was splendidly victualled, and, what was more, she had her full complement of hands.” “Her full complement of hands!” echoed the astounded schoolmistress. I suppose he must mean that she wasn’t deformed; “but maybe your poor Jane, sir, went astray through temptation; for, you know, it is said we cannot serve two masters.” “Not serve two masters!” exclaimed the man of ships; “why, I’ve several masters, and I know many that would jump to serve them. But my time’s precious; so if you’ll just let me step up to this young lady, I’ll just give her a bit of a talking to, and see what can be done with her.” Miss Wewitz, who was too glad to put an end to a conversation that was far from interesting to her, owing to the apparent oddity of the characters to which it referred, rose from her chair, and requesting the gentleman to follow her, proceeded to conduct him up the stairs to the linen-room.