‘Her memory,’ continued Mrs. Lee, ‘may return at any time. Suppose, _then_, that she should tell you her home is not in England, and that she has no friends there. How glad you will be that you kept her.’ Again the captain gravely smiled. ‘What are _your_ ideas as to her past, Mrs. Lee?’ ‘I have no ideas whatever on the subject.’ ‘But you do not doubt that she is English?’ ‘No, I do not doubt that she is English,’ said Mrs. Lee, ‘but though she be English still she may have no residence, and even no friends in England.’ ‘Granting her to be an English woman,’ said the captain, ‘where would you have her live?’ ‘Anywhere in Europe--anywhere in America--anywhere in the world, Captain Ladmore,’ answered Mrs. Lee. ‘But here is a lady,’ said the captain, ‘found in an open boat, not very far south of the mouth of the English Channel. Now what more reasonable to suppose than that the lady was blown away from an English port?’ ‘Why not from a French port?’ said Mrs. Lee. ‘She had English money on her,’ exclaimed the captain. ‘English people who live in France often have English money on them,’ said Mrs. Lee. ‘But why do you say she was blown away from a port? Is it not more likely that she is a survivor of a shipwreck, the horrors of which have extinguished her memory? Assume this, Captain Ladmore,’ said the little woman with an air of triumph, ‘and in what part of the world are you going to tell me her home is?’ ‘Well, Miss C----,’ said the captain, ‘the matter need not be discussed any further. If you are satisfied to remain, I am satisfied to keep you.’ I left my chair and took his hand and pressed it in silence. I was unable to speak. As we left the captain’s cabin, Mrs. Lee said: ‘My husband was a shipowner, and I know how to reason with sea captains. I believe I have made Captain Ladmore see your case in its true light. We shall hope to hear no more of Sir Frederick Thompson’s absurd notion.’ ‘Oh, Mrs. Lee,’ I exclaimed, ‘I feel happy now. It would break my heart to be removed to another ship, not knowing what was to befall me there and afterwards.’ ‘Will you come on deck for a turn?’ said she. ‘You can join Alice later on. I wish her to rest every afternoon,’ and she then asked me to send the stewardess to her, as she desired to unpack a bonnet and cloak which were at my service. At the foot of the stairs, which conducted to the steerage, I found Mr. Harris, the chief officer. I had not before encountered him in this part of the ship. He was talking to a bearded steerage passenger, who was leaning with folded arms against a table, but on seeing me, Mr. Harris turned his back upon the bearded passenger, and saluted me by raising his cap.