"Are you my son? Are you Jack?" "I am," replied Jack. “Do you think he’s still around?” She paused thoughtfully. Gerald had himself told her that this Prudence will present her to society as Melusine Charvill. The young man opposite was straining his ears to listen to their conversation. The voice of the young seaman came floating down from the masthead, and the story of the immortal lovers had begun. " "Don't worry about that. " "If I ask you to part with him, my good woman, it's to better his condition, I suppose, ain't it?" rejoined Wood angrily; for, though he had no serious intention of carrying his proposal into effect, he was rather offended at having it declined. Satisfied that he had solved his difficulty, he proceeded to his room. Accordingly, when she arrived at the Shovels, with which, as an old haunt in her bygone days of wretchedness she was well acquainted, instead of entering the principal apartment, which she saw at a glance was crowded with company of both sexes, she turned into a small room on the left of the bar, and, as an excuse for so doing, called for something to drink. She had not gone by the name Lucy during those years but instead had called herself “Mary Lucia Iovelli”.