human
Captain!
gpt
Ah! the nephew!
human
Captain, repeated the novice, with a violent effort to steady his voice,
gpt
I will tell you what Crockston does not want to say. I will hide it no longer; yes, he is American, and so am I; we are both enemies of the slave-holders, but not traitors come on board to betray the _Dolphin_ into the hands of the Federalists.
human
What did you come to do, then? asked the Captain, in a severe tone, examining the novice attentively. The latter hesitated a few seconds before replying, then he said,
gpt
Captain, I should like to speak to you in private.
human
Come.
gpt
Be so kind as to walk in, miss.
human
Don't be alarmed, miss, said James Playfair, in a gentle voice,
gpt
Sir, said she,
human
I wanted to join my father at Charleston; the town is besieged by land and blockaded by sea. I knew not how to get there, when I heard that the _Dolphin_ meant to force the blockade. I came on board your ship, and I beg you to forgive me if I acted without your consent, which you would have refused me.
gpt
Certainly,
human
I did well, then, not to ask you,
gpt
What is your name?
human
Jenny Halliburtt.
gpt
Your father, if I remember rightly the address on the letters, is he not from Boston?
human
Yes, sir.
gpt
And a Northerner is thus in a southern town in the thickest of the war?
human
My father is a prisoner; he was at Charleston when the first shot of the Civil War was fired, and the troops of the Union driven from Fort Sumter by the Confederates. My father's opinions exposed him to the hatred of the slavist part, and by the order of General Beauregard he was imprisoned. I was then in England, living with a relation who has just died, and left alone, with no help but that of Crockston, our faithful servant, I wished to go to my father and share his prison with him.
gpt
What was Mr. Halliburtt, then?
human
A loyal and brave journalist, replied Jenny proudly,
gpt
An Abolitionist, cried the Captain angrily;
human
Sir! replied Jenny Halliburtt, growing pale,
gpt
Boatswain!
human
This cabin will henceforward belong to Miss Jenny Halliburtt. Have a cot made ready for me at the end of the poop; that's all I want.
gpt
And now, miss, you are at home,