OR THE DESERT ISLAND. 61

on, doubled a little promontory, and saw the remains of
the pinnace, upside down, drifting near the shore.

To a seaman this indeed was a most afflicting sight,
and he yielded for some moments to the grief that op-
pressed him ; when the joyous barkings of Neptune broke
in upon his mournful reveries. He raised his eyes, and
beheld a young sailor sitting with his back to the shore on
the floating bark, seemingly as sad as himself. Probably
he was the only one of the ship’s crew that had escaped the
terrors of the storm, and the count, with open arms, ran
towards him, exclaiming with great emotion, “O! what
a happiness, my dear companion !”

At the sound of his voice the youthful mariner slowly
turned towards him ; and his pale visage, impressed with
the marks of contending passions, disclosed at once to the
count the presence and existence of Philip Merville.

The two foes regarded each other in gloomy silence,
each astonished that heaven had saved the life of his ene-
my, and each exhibiting on his countenance the deepest
ravages of grief and utter hopelessness.

This was the moment favourable to a reconciliation. A
compassionate look, a friendly smile, would have sufficed
to extinguish their mutual hatred: the words of reconcili- -
ation were on their lips; but false shame and detestable