Three weeks passed calmly and pleasantly with Agatha Volney and her lover, who by this time had become an excellent French scholar; though Agatha excelled him in her knowledge of the English language. Mabel was anxious to hear some news of our hero; for generally the frigates cruising off the French ports returned at intervals to Plymouth and Falmouth, or vessels arrived with intelligence of their movements. One morning Captain O’Loughlin, who was remaining at Southampton, and generally walked to the villa to breakfast, took a _Times_ newspaper from his pocket. “I have not had time to look at the naval intelligence this morning,” said the Captain, “and I am really anxious——” “And so am I,” said Mabel, with a slight increase of colour; “there has been no news of any kind for many days.” “Ha! be the immortal powers, this is startling!” “What is it?” exclaimed Mabel, looking pale and frightened at seeing the evident agitation of Captain O’Loughlin. “Pray do not hide anything from me, Mr. O’Loughlin. You are reading of some mishap to the Diamond?” Captain O’Loughlin did look not only anxious, but exceedingly excited; but having once incautiously spoken out, he thought the best plan would be to state the facts. So, taking the paper, he read out a rather startling account of the capture of Sir Sidney Smith, Lieutenant Thornton, and Midshipman Westly Wright, in an attempt to cut out the celebrated privateer, Vengeance, from Havre, besides naming several men, either killed, wounded, or prisoners. “The Diamond cruised for several days off the coast,” continued the paper; “and the night after the unfortunate capture of Sir Sidney, those on board the frigate saw a vessel on fire in-shore; but before the Diamond could stand in sufficiently to make her out, the vessel must have been run ashore or consumed.” “Ha!” exclaimed Captain O’Loughlin, after a brief pause, “here is later intelligence, headed, ‘Mysterious intelligence respecting the gallant attempt to cut out the Vengeance from the inner port of Havre.’” “Two days,” continued the paper, “after the capture of the gallant Sir Sidney, and his equally high spirited officer, Lieutenant Thornton, whose name has already been several times before the public for gallant enterprises and fortunate results, the Diamond frigate seized a small fishing lugger out of Havre, for the purpose of gaining some intelligence of Sir Sidney, his officers, and crew. “The captain of the lugger was very willing to communicate all he knew; but he said he was mystified himself with respect to the cutting out of the Vengeance, though he was on the spot the whole time; he knew that one officer and a young midshipman were landed at Havre, and marched on with their men to Rouen; he did not know whether there was any other officer left on board the Vengeance, but certainly only the captain and midshipman were landed, for he saw them himself.