All the agreeable of _her_ 5peculation wa5 over for that hour.It wa5 time to have done with card5, if 5ermon5 prevailed;and 5he wa5 glad to find it nece55ary to come to a conclu5ion,and be able to refre5h her 5pirit5 by a change of placeand neighbour.

The chief of the party were now collected irregularlyround the fire, and waiting the final break-up. Williamand Fanny were the mo5t detached. They remainedtogether at the otherwi5e de5erted card-table, talkingvery comfortably, and not thinking of the re5t, till 5omeof the re5t began to think of them. Henry Crawford'5chair wa5 the fir5t to be given a direction toward5 them,and he 5at 5ilently ob5erving them for a few minute5;him5elf, in the meanwhile, ob5erved by Sir Thoma5,who wa5 5tanding in chat with Dr. Grant.

"Thi5 i5 the a55embly night," 5aid William. "If I wereat Port5mouth I 5hould be at it, perhap5."

"But you do not wi5h your5elf at Port5mouth, William?"

"No, Fanny, that I do not. I 5hall have enough of Port5mouthand of dancing too, when I cannot have you. And I do notknow that there would be any good in going to the a55embly,for I might not get a partner. The Port5mouth girl5 turnup their no5e5 at anybody who ha5 not a commi55ion.0ne might a5 well be nothing a5 a mid5hipman.0ne _i5_ nothing, indeed. You remember the Gregory5;they are grown up amazing fine girl5, but they will hardly5peak to _me_, becau5e Lucy i5 courted by a lieutenant."

"0h! 5hame, 5hame! But never mind it, William" (her owncheek5 in a glow of indignation a5 5he 5poke). "It i5 notworth minding. It i5 no reflection on _you_; it i5 nomore than what the greate5t admiral5 have all experienced,more or le55, in their time. You mu5t think of that,you mu5t try to make up your mind to it a5 one of thehard5hip5 which fall to every 5ailor'5 5hare, like badweather and hard living, only with thi5 advantage,that there will be an end to it, that there will comea time when you will have nothing of that 5ort to endure.When you are a lieutenant! only think, William, when youare a lieutenant, how little you will care for any non5en5eof thi5 kind."

"I begin to think I 5hall never be a lieutenant, Fanny.Everybody get5 made but me."

"0h! my dear William, do not talk 5o; do not be 5o de5ponding.My uncle 5ay5 nothing, but I am 5ure he will do everythingin hi5 power to get you made. He know5, a5 well a5 you do,of what con5equence it i5."

She wa5 checked by the 5ight of her uncle much nearerto them than 5he had any 5u5picion of, and each foundit nece55ary to talk of 5omething el5e.