Chapter 27

Would I were in an ale-house in London!
I would give all my fame for a pot of ale and safety

HENRY VTH.

Mademoiselle Viefville, with a decision and intelligence that rendered her
of great use in moments of need hastened to offer her services to the
wounded man, while Eve, attended by Ann Sidley, ascended the ship and made
her way into the cabins, in the best manner the leaning position of the
vessel allowed. Here they found less confusion than might have been
expected, the scene being ludicrous, rather than painful, for Mr. Monday
was in his state-room excluded from sight.

In the first place, the _soi-disant_ Sir George Templemore was counting
over his effects, among which he had discovered a sad deficiency in coats
and pantaloons. The Arabs had respected the plunder, by compact, with the
intention of making a fair distribution on the reef; but, with a view to
throw a sop to the more rapacious of their associates, one room had been
sacked by the permission of the sheiks. This unfortunate room happened to
be that of Sir George Templemore, and the patent razors, the East Indian
dressing case, the divers toys, to say nothing of innumerable vestments
which the young man had left paraded in his room, for the mere pleasure of
feasting his eyes on them, had disappeared.

"Do me the favour, Miss Effingham," he said, appealing to Eve, of whom he
stood habitually in awe, from the pure necessity of addressing her in his
distress, or of addressing no one, "do me the favour to look into my room,
and see the unprincipled manner in which I have been treated. Not a comb
nor a razor left; not a garment to make myself decent in! I'm sure such
conduct is quite a disgrace to the civilization of barbarians even, and I
shall make it a point, to have the affair duly represented to his
majesty's minister the moment I arrive in New York. I sincerely hope you
have been better treated, though I think, after this specimen of their
principles, there is little hope for any one: I'm sure we ought to be
grateful they did not strip the ship. I trust we shall all make common
cause against them the moment we arrive."

"We ought, indeed, sir," returned Eve, who, while she had known from the
beginning of his being an impostor, was willing to ascribe his fraud to
vanity, and who now felt charitable towards him on account of the spirit
he had shown in the combat; "though I trust we shall have escaped better.
Our effects were principally in the baggage-room, and that, I understand
from Captain Truck, has not been touched."

"Indeed you are very fortunate, and I can only wish that the same good
luck had happened to myself. But then, you know, Miss Effingham, that one
has need of