"I didn't want to spoil your rest last night," said Owen, seating himself on the edge of the bed, "so I said nothing about a mishap that has occurred. That smuggling villain, Francisco, took advantage of our absence to fetch a contraband cargo in the boat from Gibraltar, and has been caught in attempting to run it here." "God bless me," said my grandfather, "who would have thought it!--and he such a capital cook! But what's to be done? where's the boat?" "The boat is, for the present, confiscated," said Garry; "but I daresay the Governor would let us have it in the morning, on explaining, and would perhaps release Francisco, with the loss of his cargo; but--but--in fact, Major, I don't want the Governor to know anything about our departure." My grandfather stared at him, awaiting further explanation. "Juana looked pale last night," said the Ensign after a pause. The Major did not dispute the fact, though he could not, for the life of him, see what the state of Juana's complexion had to do with the subject. "She never liked that dingy Spanish lover of hers," said the Ensign, "and her father intends she shall marry him in a month. 'Twould make her miserable for life." "Dear me," said my grandfather, "how do you know that?" "She told me so. You see," said Owen, shading the candle with his hand, so that my grandfather couldn't see his face, and speaking hurriedly, "I didn't intend we should start alone--in fact--that is--Juana has agreed to fly with me to Gibraltar." "Agreed!--fly!"--gasped my grandsire: "what an extraordinary young fellow!" "She's waiting for us now," resumed Garry, gathering courage after the first plunge into the subject; "we ought to be off before daylight. Oblige me, my dear sir" (smiling irresistibly), "by getting up immediately." "And how are we to get away," asked my grandfather, "supposing this insane scheme of yours to be attempted?" "I've bribed the sentry at Francisco's place of durance," returned the Ensign. "We shall get out of the town the instant the gates are opened; and the boat is tied to the steps, as before, only under the charge of a sentry whom we can easily evade. Every guarda costa in the place was sent out last night to blockade a noted smuggler who has taken refuge in Tangier; so, once out, we are safe from pursuit: I found it all out after you had gone to bed."