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164
Recollections of
[Ch. XIV.

was neither one thing nor the other, but simply that our kind lady governess, Mrs. Wilks[1], had left the island, and such demonstrations of grief had never before been seen at St. Helena. She was so beloved, people of all ranks and ages crowded to the castle to say, "God bless you, and a safe and happy voyage home." Not a dry eye was to be seen amongst the crowd then collected; that leave-taking of our much loved and respected governor and his family resembled more a funeral than a levee; so sad and solemn was every face. I fancy I can see them now, following the party to the beach as they embarked in the barge that conducted them on board the Havannah; and when the noble frigate spread her canvass to the swelling breeze that bore from the little rock those who had contributed so much to the happiness of its gratefully impressed inhabitants, groups of

  1. ↑ Mrs. Wilks, now Mrs. Blamire, the wife of the late M.P. for the county of Cumberland.
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