thoroughly devout. I ran away from him at twelve, and never passed a week
at a time under his roof afterwards. He could not do much for me, for he
had little education and no money, and, I believe, carried on the business
pretty much by faith. He was a good man, Leach, notwithstanding there
might be a little of a take-in for such a person to set up as a teacher;
and, as for my mother, if there ever was a pure spirit on earth it was in
her body!"

"Ay, that is the way commonly with the mothers, sir."

"She taught me to pray," added the captain, speaking a little thick, "but
since I've been in this London line, to own the truth, I find but little
time for any thing but hard work, until, for want of practice, praying has
got to be among the hardest things I can turn my hand to."

"That is the way with all of us; it is my opinion, Captain Truck, these
London and Liverpool liners will have a good many lost souls to
answer for."

"Ay, ay, if we could put it on them, it would do well enough; but my
honest old father always maintained, that every man must stand in the gap
left by his own sins; though he did assert, also, that we were all
fore-ordained to shape our courses starboard or port, even before we were
launched."

"That doctrine makes an easy tide's-way of life; for I see no great use in
a man's carrying sail and jamming himself up in the wind, to claw off
immoralities, when he knows he is to fetch up upon them after all
his pains."