The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-02-23

brought us together here" And kissed
her hand.
But 1t would be pleasant to lie In
pretty harbor,--to rest, as IL were' she
exclaimed.
Our business Is TO get married, my
darling, / rejoined, and we must mas
ten as swiftly as the lind will allow us
TO the parish where =, ceremony Is TO
be performed for my cousin can't pub
lish the banns until we are on the spot,
and whilst he is publishing the banns we
must be treating with her ladyship, and,
as the diplomatists would say, negotiat-
ing "A successful Issue.
/ should only weary you by recitlnS
the passage OF the hours. After break
fast took her on deck for turn; but
she was glad TO get below again. All
day long it continued dark weather,
without a sight OF anything save at III
tervals the shadowy figure OF a coaster
aslant in the thickness, and once the
loom OF huge ocean passenger-boat,
sweeping at twelve or fourteen knots
through the gray veil Of vapor that mar
rowed the horizon To within mile OF US.
CHAPTER ".
will not feign, that L was perfectly
comfortable in my mind. never pre-
tended TO be more than summer-hoI-
day sailor, and such anxiety as should
have felt had i been alone was now
nightly accentuated. as may be SUI
posed, by having the darling OF my heart
in my little ship with me. | had long
talk with Caudel that afternoon. and.
despite my eager desire 10 remain at
sea, believe / would have been glad
had he advised that the Spitilre should
hp etpprpd for the nearest harDOr.
Lord love ye, Mr.. Barclav. sir"
he exclaimed, whats going ong,
that we should tarn TO and set IL light?
Here's a breeze OF wind that's doing all
that could be asked for. i dorn't say ii
amt thick, but there's nothin in 1t TO
take notice Of. OF course you've only
got to say the word, sir, and I'll put the
hellum up but even for that there job 1t
would be proper to make sartin first OF
all where we are. There's no want OF
harbors under our lea, from Portland
Bill to Bolt Head, but | cant trust TO my
dead-reckoning, seeing what's involved"
said he, casting a damp eye at the sky
light, and my motto is, there's nothin
like seeing when you're on such coast
as this here. Having come all this way,
1t 'ud be pity to stop now.
80 long as you're satisfied" / ex-
lieve he was influenced by vanity too.
You steer by the compass, / sup
poser? said /.
BY nothin' else, sir" he answered in
a voice OF wonder.
"Well, / might have known that"
safd +, ffHughfng at my own stupid ques-
tiop, that yet had sense in 1t too.
should have asked you if the compass is
to be trusted"
"Ay, sir. He's first class compass.
| There's nothin' to make him go wrong.
Yet it's astonishing what a little thing
will put compass out. I've heered
of a vessel that was pretty nigh run
ashore all along Of the helmsman, hot
because he couldn't steer; better hand
never stood at a wheel; but because he'd
been physicking himself with iron and
steel and had taken SO much of the
blooming stuff that the compass was
wrong all the time he was at the helm. II
"A very good story" said /, and, hav-
ing had enough of the deck, / rejoined
my sweetheart and in the cabin, with
talking, reading, she singing, very
sweetly she sang,-we killed the hours
till bedtime.
was up Mt seven o'clock, with reso-
luton to let the weather shape my decis-
ion as to sticking TO the vessel or going
ashore, and was not a little pleased to
find the yacht making good way, with a
brilliant breeze gushing steady off her
starboard bow.
The greater part Of this day Grace and
spent on deck, but nothing whatever
happened good enough to keep my tale
waiting whilst / tell you about it. Cau-
del talked of being abreast Of the Start
by three o'clock in the morning.
"Tnen," said to my sweetheart, 4" If
that be so, Grace, there will be but a
short cruise to follow
At this she looked grave, and fastened
her eyes with a wistful expression upon
the sea over the bows, as though Mount $
Bay lay there and the quaint old town of
Penzance with its long esplanade and its
rich fanking of green and well-tilled
heights would be presently showing.
read her thoughts. and said. have
never met Mrs. Howe, but Franks let
ters about her to me were as enthusias-
tic as mine were about you TO him."
1T is desperate step, Herbert" she
sighed
Upon which 1 changed the subject.
We went below, and Grace and killed
the time, as heretofore, in talking and
reading We found the evening too
short, indeed, so much had we TO say TO
each other. Wonderful is the amount of
talk which lovers are able to get through
and feel satisfied with
Grace and were of talking age-two-
and-twenty, and one not yet eighteen
our minds had no knowledge Of life, no
experience. nothing in them to keep
them steady; they were set in motion
by the lightest. the most trivial breath
of thought, and idly danced in us in the
manner of some gossamer-like topmost
leaf TO the faintest movement of the
summer air.
She withdrew TO her berth at 10 o'clock
that night with radiant face and laugh
ing eyes, for, insipid as the evening
must have proved TO others, Co us il had
been one OF perfect felicity. Not a single
sigh had escaped her, and twice had /
mentioned the name Of Mrs. Howe with
out witnessing any change OF counte-
nance in her.
Invent on deck to take last look round,
and found all well,-no change i'm the
weather, the breeze brisk and steady
nouripp out OF the north h. and Caudpl