The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-23
A MARRIAGE AT SEA.
". CLARK RUSSELL,
AUTHOR OF 1.-THE WRECK OF THE oRosvE-
NOR" "JoHS WORDSWORTH. MATE"
"MARooNED." ETC, ETC.
CHAPTER discontinued.

]
our adventure must force your aunt into
sending us her sanction" She hates
me, | know, but her aversion Is not go
ing to suffer her To forbid our marriage
after this. Yet grant that her ladyship
should go on saying no; are we not pre-
paredf
L kissed away a tear, and little later
she was smiling, with her hand in mine,
as led her up on deck.
She gazed about her out OF the wraps
which rose TO ears, with eyes full OF
child-llke interest and wonder, not un-
mixed with fear.
She had not been sitting long before |
saw that she was beginning 10 like IL.
There was no nausea now; her eyes
were bright there was color in her
checks, and herrcd lips parted as though
in pure enjoyment Of the glad rush OF
the salt breeze athwart her teeth OF
pearl.
Thus passed the morning. There was
no tedium. III ever there came halt in
our chat, there were twenty things over
the side TO look at, to fill the pause with
color and beauty.
it was shortly after twelve that the
delicate shadow of the high land Of
Beachy Head showed over the yachts
bow. BY one o'clock IL had grown de-
fined and firm, with the glimmering
streaks of its white ramparts OF chalk
stealing out OF the blue haze.
There's old England, Grace, said l,
How ones heart goes out TO the sight
Of the merest shadow of ones own soil
Il ought TO wish it was Cornwall
coast" she answered; ''but | am enjoy
ing this now" she added. smilingly
When the sun had fairly set | took her
hnIptx for Tho xvipH Ganpnl IN N
sudden with the damp OF night in it,
and a bite as shrewd on its abruptness
of frost / made no other provision, in
in the shape of amusement, for our sea
trip of three, four, five days, as it might
happen then small parcel OF novels
scarcely doubling that all the diversion
we should need must lie in each others
company. And, in fact we managed to
kill the time very agreeably without the
help of fiction, though we both owned
when the little cabin clock pointed to
half past-nine, that the day had seemed
desperately long one. and could not
help adding that on the whole. honey
moon spent aboard "a yacht the size OF
the Spitnre would soon become a very
slow business.
When she had withdrawn l put on a
pea coat, and filling pipe, stopped on
uetk. ne uuSk was clear, Dut Ol
darker shade than that of the preceding
night there xas not iaaFe- wind tifaff httd
been blowing throughout the day. but the
sky was full OF large swollen clouds roll
ing in shadows OF giant wings athwart
the stars, and the gloom OF them was In
the atmosphere. The yacht was swarm
ing through it under canvass humming
as she went. Her pace il IL had lasted
would, knew speedy, terminate this
sea going passage of our elopement, aud
/ looked over the stern very we'll pleased
To witness the arrow straight white of
the wake melting ata little distance into
mere elusive faintness.
when are we TO be off st. Catharine's
Point at this pace, Caudel?" said 1.
AT this pace, SIR? Why, betwixt
seven or eight o'clock tomorrow morn
ing. !"
What deuce of length this Eng
lish Channel runs to?" cried /, impa-
tiently. why, il will do little better
than beginning our voyage. even when
the Isle of Wight is abreast"
Yes sir, there's o deal water going to
the making of this here Channel,--a
blooming sight too much OF it when IL
comes on winters night n blowing
and showing, the atmosphere thick as
muck. answered Caudel.
"There'll be, a bright lookout kept to-
night, hope" said l. Not the value
OF all the cargoes afloat at this present
instant, Caudel, the wild world over,
equals the worth of my treasure aboard
the Spitfire.
Trust me to see that a bright lookout
is kept. Mr.. Barclay. They'll be no
turning in with me this night. Don't let
no fear of anything going wrong disturb
your mind, sir.
Well" said /, with bit OF shiver.
and hugging myselfin my pea-coat. -
am cold and tired, and going TO bed; so
goodnight, and God keep you wide
awake. And down l went, and ten
minutes later was snugged away in my
coffin OF bunk, sound asleep. and snor-
ing at the top of my pipes, don doubt.
Next morning, when | went on deck
after nine hours of solid slumber. L at
once directed my eyes over the rail in
search OF the Isle of Wight, but there
was nothing TO be seen but gray driz-
zlc, a weeping wall OF slate-colored haze
that formed a sky OF its own and dropped
TO within mile or SO OF the yacht. The
Spitfire's canvas was discolored with
saturation, drops of water was blowing
from her rigging, there was sobbing OF
a gutter-like sort in her lee scuppers,
and the figures OF the men glistening in
oi-skins completed the melancholy ap-
pearance of the little Spitflre.
We had made capital way throughout
the night. and il the weather were clear
st. GATHERINGS Point would soon show
abreast of us.
The promise Of a long, wet, blank day
was not very cheering. In fact. this
change in the weather was as damping TO
my spirits as it literally was TO every
thing else, aud "a ! entered the compan-
ion-way for shelter felt as though half
OF a mind TO order the yacht TO be headed
for some adjacent port. But little
thinking brought back my resolution to
its old bearings. IL was a hard thing TO
avow, but knew that my very strong
est chance OF obtaining Lady Amelias
consent lay in this sea-trip. Then, again,
there might come a break at any minute,
with a fine day OF warm sunshine and
clear sky TO follow. | re-cntered the
cabin. and on looking at the barometer
observed, a slight depression in the
mercury. but IL was without significance
TO my mind.
Somewhere about this time Grace came