Page:The crater; or, Vulcan's peak.djvu/37

 OR, VULCAN S PEAK. 31 Republican, gossip fast becoming the lever that moves everything in the land. The newspapers, true to their instincts of consulting the ruling tastes, deal much more in gossip than they deal in reason ; the courts admit it as evidence ; the juries receive it as fact, as well as the law ; and as for the legislatures, let a piteous tale but circulate freely in the lobbies, and bearded men, like Juliet when a child, as described by her nurse, will &quot; stint and cry, ay!&quot; In a word, principles and proof are in much less esteem than assertions and numbers, backed with enough of which, anything may be made to appear as legal, or even consti tutional. But neither of our doctors entered into all these matters. It was enough for them that the affair of the marriage was disposed of, for a time at least, and things were permitted to drop into their ancient channels. The intercourse be tween Bridget and Anne was renewed, just as if nothing had happened, and Mark s letters to his virgin bride were numerous, and filled with passion. The ship was taking in, and he could only leave her late on Saturday afternoons, but each Sunday he contrived to pass in Bristol. On such occasions he saw his charming wife at church, and he walked with her in the fields, along with Anne and a fa voured admirer of hers, of an afternoon, returning to town in season to be at his post on the opening of the hatches, -&amp;gt;f a Monday morning. In less than a month after the premature marriage be tween Mark Woolston and Bridget Yardley, the Rancocus cleared for the Pacific and Canton. The bridegroom found one day to pass in Bristol, and Doctor Yardley so far pitied his daughter s distress, as to consent that the two girls should go to town, under his own care, and see the young man off*. This concession was received with the deepest gratitude, and made the young people moment arily very happy. The doctor even consented to visit the ship, which Captain Crutchely, laughing, called St. Mark s chapel, in consequence of the religious rite which had been performed on board her. Mrs. Crutchely was there, on the occasion of this visit, attending to her husband s comforts, by fitting curtains to his berth, and looking after matters in general in the cabin ; and divers jokes were