He placed his old nurse, Jane Hayes, who had lately married, in a pretty
cottage, which he had built expressly for her. He did not forget Nat
Midge. One of his first journeys was to visit Nat's grandmother. He
found the old lady in great poverty, struggling to maintain her
grand-children. "You will, I hope, see Nat in a couple of days," said
Owen; "and though he may not have come back with his pockets full of
gold, he has gained a sincere friend, who can afford to support you and
his brothers and sisters till he is able to do so himself."
Nat arrived, and escorted his family to Arlingford, where Owen had
ordered a cottage, which had been vacant, to be got ready for their
reception.
Nat, who had had enough of the sea, was apprenticed to a carpenter
employed on the estate, whose duties he ultimately was able to
undertake.
Mike Coffey continued in the service until he lost a leg, when he
retired on a pension. His mother having died, he came, at Owen's
invitation, to Arlingford.
"I'm afther thinkin', my lord, of gettin' a wherry and settin' up as a
boatman at Portsmouth," answered Mike to Owen's question as to the way
he intended to employ himself.
"How would you like to become my commodore?" asked Owen, pointing to a
miniature frigate which floated on the lake near the house, and to a
couple of boats drawn up on the bank.
"With the greatest delight in the world, your honour--your lordship I
mane," answered Mike. "The frigate wants re-fitting, and the boats will
be better for a coat of paint. I had a look at them as I came along
this mornin'. Thinks I to meself, shure the young master hasn't had
time to see afther his fleet, so I was just goin' to offer to do the
work, to show me love to your lordship."
"I have no doubt that I shall find other work for you when that is
finished, so I appoint you to the berth, and you can take up your abode
with Widow Midge until you set up a home of your own."
Owen, although he still retained his love for the sea, retired from the
service and devoted himself--as is the bounden duty of every
proprietor--to the improvement of his estate and to advancing the moral
and spiritual welfare of his tenants.
THE END.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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