Paganel’s Last Entanglement

           JOYdoesnotkill,forbothfatherandchildrenrecoveredbeforetheyhadreachedtheyacht.Thescenewhichfollowed,whocandescribe?Languagefails.Thewholecrewweptaloudatthesightofthesethreeclaspedtogetherinaclose,silentembrace.

           ThemomentHarryGrantcameondeck,hekneltdownreverently.ThepiousScotchman’sfirstactontouchingtheyacht,whichtohimwasthesoilofhisnativeland,wastoreturnthankstotheGodofhisdeliverance.Then,turningtoLadyHelenaandLordGlenarvan,andhiscompanions,hethankedtheminbrokenwords,forhisheartwastoofulltospeak.Duringtheshortpassagefromtheisletotheyacht,hischildrenhadgivenhimabriefsketchoftheDuncan’Shistory.

           Whatanimmensedebtheowedtothisnobleladyandherfriends!FromLordGlenarvan,downtothelowestsailoronboard,howallhadstruggledandsufferedforhim!HarryGrantexpressedhisgratitudewithsuchsimplicityandnobleness,hismanlyfacesuffusedwithpureandsweetemotion,thatthewholecrewfeltamplyrecompensedforthetrialstheyhadundergone.EventheimpassableMajorhimselffeltatearstealdownhischeekinspiteofallhisself-command;whilethegood,simplePaganelcriedlikeachildwhodoesnotcarewhoseeshistears.

           HarryGrantcouldnottakehiseyesoffhisdaughter.Hethoughtherbeautiful,charming;andhenotonlysaidsotohimself,butrepeateditaloud,andappealedtoLadyHelenaforconfirmationofhisopinion,asiftoconvincehimselfthathewasnotblindedbyhispaternalaffection.