ng of S

. At the flow of the tide it was to go out into the bay and anchor there, waiting for the mails, and at nine o'clock it was

the bare mention of the bargain that Greeba had made with him, to bid him farewell on the eve of his departure, all the Fairbrothers were up in arms. So he had been sorely put to it to devise a means of meeting Greeba, if he could do so without drawing

ht, and return by the glen, so that at the bridge by the turn of the river and the low road to Lague, where it was quiet enough sometimes, s

ugh it as if it had been a speaking-trumpet. Standing alone on the bridge under the quiet elms, Michael could hear the rattle of chains and the whistling of horns, and by that he knew that the brig had dropped anchor in the bay. B

te silk handkerchief was tied about her head, half covering her mouth, and leaving visible in the twilight only the tip of her nose, a curl of her hair, and her bright dark eyes, with their long bright lashes. She was singing to herself as she came up to the bridg

d to foot, and her eyes glea

voice seemed to him the sweetest music he had eve

ot?" h

uppose there are girls enough in Iceland," and then she laug

fine girls," he answered; "a

ad and laughed an

fine people and a good time. That's wha

will go back to Lond

"There's father, you see; and, oh,

e it so muc

big hungry brothers coming home three times a day a

him magnificen

u before I come back," he sa

and laughed. He could see the heaving of her breast. She laughed again-a fresh, me

glancing under her long lashes, "and they're so very wonderfu

d quietly, and loo

e silence and recalled him to the maiden by his side

ling of the river and the leaping of a fish. The heifers

aid, coldly, "or they'

u as far as Lague-

d, and fumbling the loose fold a

id hold o

ot?" h

thers. Your very life

nd of this bridge, and you had to walk the rest of

n some distance. He was gazing at her in silence. There was a conscious deli

ppose you'll stay a long while the

han I must,"

y n

n't k

ain, looking at him sidewa

wer, and she l

," he said. "It may be very laugh

h?" she said, as fast a

nd swung half a pace aside. They were then at the gate of Lague, where long years before Stephen Orry first saw

, so good-bye,"

a," he

ispered, coming closer. He could

ime away-years it may be, perhaps many year

o say forget, you

uld we r

, if we should not forget how e

nd promise me one thing," and

, and started to run down the path. B

," he said breathing fast. "Prom

merriment, "I'll promise that while you are awa

ng herself ou

me a token

But she knew they were there, and stopped and plucked two, blew upon

bye!" she said i

e!" he a

g abreast of her. He threw one arm about her waist and the other about her neck,

d over the upturned fac

he heard the porch door opening, a heavy foot treading on the gravel, and a

Asher, and she walked up to

gate has-it takes such a

the quay some fishermen were lounging there with pipes between their te

red. They got into it and Stephen sculled out of the harbor. It was still very thick over the town, but they could see the

ephen Orry. "There'll be a ta

ay but did not know how to begin. His

o build the ligh

ring tides,"

e brig when Stephen rested his scull under his

aid, and he held out a ba

ael, and he dre

ilence, and then Micha

ugh already. Mr. Fairbrother gav

d aside and looked over the

at you wouldn't need to t

him. "Father," he sa

o hundred pound

t taken you to

teen

been saving

A

me to I

A

h more h

great

how m

know-sc

you an

made n

any more

N

lt his face flush d

I, and we may not meet again soon; indeed, we may never meet ag

is it,

never try to get mor

be no occa

l you pr

A

ve me th

ded the bag

years of your l

to s

, isn't it, to do

to do as you o

But wait! Remember your promise, father. Don't forg

by men and boys, were lying about the ladder, and there was a good deal of shouting and swearing and noisy laugh

they seemed to discuss the reason of his going. "Well, what's it sa

mainsail and mizzen, and stood out to sea. He had scarcely got clear away when he heard the brig weigh its anchor and beat down behind him. They

en, bleeding heart. At that thought the outcast man laid his head in his hands, where he sat crouching at the tiller, and sobbed. Ther

owntrodden. He thought of what might have happened to him if the chances of life had been different, and in that first hour of his last bereavement all the softening influences of nineteen years, the uplooking and upworking, and the struggle towards atonement, were as much gone from him as if they had never been. Then he thought of the money, and told himself that it was not now that he lost his son for the first time; he had lost him fourteen years ago, when he parted with him

ind him; nothing was visible save the dark hull of the vessel going off towards the north, and nothing audible save the cry of a few gulls that were fishing by the light of the flare. It had been the work of three minutes only, but in that time one vivid impression had fixed itself on Stephen's preoccupied mind. The end of the

-far out, half a league away-what black thing was there? Oh, it must be a cloud, that was all; and no doubt a storm was brewing. Yet no, it was looming larger and larger, and coming nearer and nearer. It was a sail. Stephen could see it plainly enough now against the leaden sky. It was a schooner; he could

heavy laden; it would have whalebone, and eider down, and tallow. If it ran ashore and was wrecked some of this cargo might be taken by some one and sold for something to a French smuggler that lay outside the Chicken Rocks. That flare on the Point of Ayre was the only sea-light on this north coast of the island, and it

h was as nothing to the ordeal that was yet before him? As he sat in his boat, peering into the darkness at the black shadow on the horizon, did any voice whisper in his ear:-"Steph

sea, and then slackened off to wait and watch. All this time he had been sitting at the tiller, never having risen from it since he stepped his mast by the side of the brig. Now he got on his feet to shorten sail, f

indeed, a voice rang in his ears; he could hear it over the wind that was rising, the plash of the white breakers on the beac

one, and then to the black cloud of sail that grew larger every instant. One minute passed-two-three. Meantime the black cloud of sail was drawing closer. There were living men aboard of that ship, and they were running

would run on the land, and already Stephen seemed to hear the grating of her keel over the rocks below the beach. He could bear the suspense no longer, and

about, but when at last he got head out to sea he began to drive down on the schooner at a furious speed. He tried to run close along by her on the weather side, but before he came within a hundred fathoms he saw that he was in the ful

outing as he went, but again his voice was drowned in the roar of the sea. He was almost atop of the breakers now, yet he fetched about once more, and shouted again and a