"Why, I some expect," said Coffin, "there's a petticoat in the wind."
"Well, I rather guess it's that pretty blue-eyed, English-looking girl, that came on board with old Don Blow-me-down, when he first came in here."
"Ah! I recollect her. I thought Morton seemed to take a shine to her."
"They may tell that to the marines; she don't look no more like the rest on 'em than the devil looks like a parson."
"I don't know" said Coffin gravely, "how the devil looks; but they say he can put on the appearance of an angel of light, and I don't see why 'taint jist as easy for him to put on a black coat, and come the parson over us poor sinners."
"Well, well; she's a sweet pretty girl, and looks kind o' as though she wasn't over and above in good spirits."
"Well, now; I some guess I know a little something about that."
"Why how the d---- did _you_ come to make yourself busy?"
"Why, you see, there's an old woman keeps a _pulparia_[3] close to the old Don's rookery."
"Hum! so, Mr. Sam Coffin, when you're cruising for information, you overhaul the women's papers first and foremost."
"Why you see, Captain Hazard, if you ask one of these men here a civil question, all you can get out of the critter is that d--d 'quien sabe,' and blast the any thing else."
"Can sarvy! why that sounds like Chinaman's talk; what does it mean?"
"It means 'who knows,' and that's the way they answer pretty much all questions."
"Well, what was't you was going to say about the girl?"
"Well, the old woman told me the girl's mother was an Englishwoman."
"I told you she wasn't clear Spanish--and being a girl, so, why she takes altogether after the mother."
"And the old woman said furdermore, that her mother wasn't a Catholic; she was a what-d'ye-call-'em."
"Yes, yes, a Protestant--that's it. Well, you see, her mother did not die till this girl, her darter, was nigh upon sixteen years old, and it's like the old lady eddicated her arter the same religion she was brought up in herself."
"Well, so you see, as nigh as I can make out, for the old woman wouldn't talk right out--only kept hinting along like."
"Hum! a woman generally can _hint_ a d--d sight more than when she speaks right out."
"Well, so it seems this Isabella, being half English and whole Protestant, won't exactly steer by their compass in religious matters."