A Maid of the Silver Sea

the sale of the farm had b

ng suspicion of a bull at a stranger's invasion of his field. He wonde

is refusal to lend himself to a loan on the farm, but

coming about here so mu

if he wants to. He's

sell-the-farm-away-from-me?" roared youn

? You had the chance of sa

do it,

e! Yo

zammin, I

hat you say or do. It'll all come back from the mine

a Sark point of view, was by no means unjustified. Selling the estate away from the rightful heir was disin

ke a threatening cloud, and the sun shone out, and Stephen Gard, with the res

use become, purged of Tom, that Gard, to his grea

courtesy, respecting, as far as he was able, her evid

a very great c

spaniel's, who was a very close friend of hers. They had neither dog nor cat at present at La Closeri

her wants. That was a refreshing novelty. Even Bernel, her special c

bit of the coast he had been scrambling about, and she found it rather pleasant to be abl

ing more, and was puzzled at her aloofness and reserve, not understanding at

rch with her and Bernel was a

cross a word he understood, still the being in church and worshipping with others-even though it was in an unknown tongue-the sound of the chants and hymns and responses, and the mild auster

ering blue sea, with Herm and Jethou resting on it like great green velvet cushions, and Guernsey gleaming softly in the distance, and

ernel, he jumped up on the spur of the moment, and pushed

?" he asked, as they came

id Bernel, and they

s one of the most extraordinary places I've come acro

coming home," sai

hy

? That's wind-sou'-west-you'll s

currents and sea-mists. I suppose one must be born here to underst

se. This

er tumble over the

y way. Nance once s

see," said Gard, turning

ming from

alo

ght it was going to blow me over. So I went down on my hands and knees and was just going to crawl, when old Hirzel Mollet came down the other side

rrible. What

up to the cottages at Plaisance, and Thomas Carré and his men came running down. Bu

did you g

n on alone, but it was months before

indeed. That was a t

ves and children, with their new and up-to-date ideas of living and dressing, had

the lonely lanes leading to Little Sark were thronged with sightseers, curious to

d. The miners' women-folk flaunted these before the dazzled eyes of the S

ottons of strange and wonderful patt

nd a straw bonnet with green strings!-and every day you'll see her about the fields without so much as a sun-b

trim but plainly-dressed little sun-bonneted figure by his side, vowed in his heart that the whole of these others rolled into on

nly on a number of men lounging on the low wall, and a

ovoked a guffaw from the rest, and reddened Nance's face, and cau

say?" asked G

d on and he coul

asked again, as he

mind him. It was just

knocking

they passed the Vicarage and turn

. Before the service was over the wind was howling round the building with

on, Gard with a discomforting reme

l larger crowd of loafers at the corner, an

was sitting on the wall, dangling his feet in dev

English, will you?"

-!" sa

of the right jaw, and he reeled back among t

ny more?" aske

ursing his jaw, "I'll talk

hat you need is a sound thrash

the others joined in.

held him in no high esteem-either for himself or for his po

and prowess in high respect. And in this matter there

m, Tom?" drawled o

Tom, but made

and Bernel, who were sheltering from

han had ever been there before-a novel feeling, too, of respect and confide

was vastly strange, and somehow good, to feel that a great strong ma

odd little glow in her heart, and a feeling as tho

upée, and the crossing seemed

hrough the darkness with

ce stretched a hand to him, and h

us little hand sent a tingling glow through him such as he had never in his life

less savage roar. Gard confessed to himself that, alone, he would never have dared to face that perilous storm-

Bernel in his ear, as they stepped within th

It's a terrible

ted Bernel. "We'

way," and they bent

ale gripped them like a giant playing with pigmies, caught them up, flung them bodily across the road and held Gar

n over the cliffs, and wriggled himself up under the ceaseless thra

ds and knees to crawl in search of Nance, he found her

an usual, she set off, bent almost double, and in a moment they were in comparative q

there. That's what that g

r felt wind like that before," said G

d Bernel. "There was no need for you to go after Nance. W

ot

it was a fresh experience to think of some one goi