Thus ended the famous expedition against Toulon. We leave the readers of history to form their own judgment with respect to its utility, and the good it caused to either England or Royalist France. The following day William Thornton obtained permission to visit little Mabel on board the Robust. The Robust was commanded by Captain Keith Elphinstone, as brave and kind an officer as any in the fleet. He had noticed the gallantry of our hero the preceding night, and knew that Sir Sidney Smith had taken a most especial liking to him. There were over three hundred unhappy fugitives, deprived of everything but the garments on their backs, on board the Robust; numbers of them were assembled on the decks, gazing upon the land they were soon to leave for ever, others for long years. Madame Volney, her two daughters, and Mabel Arden, had a cabin to themselves. Madame was the widow of Rear-Admiral Volney, a most determined Royalist, who perished on the first breaking out of the Revolution, whilst in Paris, attending upon the King, whom he earnestly implored to fly and trust himself to the fleet, which, at that time, was almost entirely in favour of the monarch. Madame Volney, luckily, was received on board the Robust before the evacuation of the town, and was able to secure a considerable amount of property in ready money, many valuables and jewels. She knew the Duchesse de Coulancourt by name, having heard of her misfortunes and persecutions in Lyons; she therefore gladly and kindly received her daughter under her protection. Both her own daughters were grown up—one was seventeen the other twenty—both amiable and kind-hearted girls. It is not very often that midshipmen are noticed by Captains of seventy-four gun ships, but Captain Elphinstone was an exception. He was remarkably kind to all his young gentlemen. Prepossessed in favour of our hero, he received him with great cordiality, spoke of the proceedings of the previous night, and congratulated him on his singular escape from the blowing-up of the Iris. Our hero answered all Captain Elphinstone’s questions modestly, but with a manly, open manner that greatly pleased him. The Captain was not aware that the little girl under the protection of Madame Volney was English. William Thornton, therefore, gave the Captain a brief outline of her unfortunate story, and the manner in which he had become acquainted with her. “Oh! I understand now,” said Captain Elphinstone; “you, then, are the midshipman that accompanied Lieutenant Cooke into the town, and who behaved so well on that occasion; I heard that a midshipman from the Victory did accompany the Lieutenant, but I did not hear the name.” After some more questions on the subject of little Mabel, he was permitted to descend to the cabin to see her. As he had several times visited Madame Volney when residing in her cottage without the town, he was no stranger.