The Ship of Stars

himself in his tub and singing between his gasps, looked up ha

r gray pony, with a creel and a couple of

e come to tak

n business; so there would be no lessons that morning, and

go over to George's country and catch trout. He is to meet us at Vellin

"Go in and speak to mother," h

p the barren little garden, and knocked at the door. Wh

"I have come to ask if Ta

onoria's first visit to the Parsonage, and the sight of the clean kitchen and shining pots and pans filled her w

you. It's lonely for

he was about to say that she wished Humility would come to Tredinnis. But her

had a sister it w

e. When she faced round again, her eyes we

eep everything he

to scour with; it's ba

u grow an

s the first year; they

sand covered them. I

asked suddenly,

. But she blushed as Humility did

other laughing and making pretence to quarrel, while he chose the brownest of the hot cakes from the wood-

the first dip of the towans; and then sat down in the empty kit

across the dunes, the lighthouse on the distant spit, the white-washed mine-chimneys on the ridge beside the shore. Away on the rises of the moor one hill-farm laughed to another in a steady flame of furze blossom-laughed with

ou

, cherr

bird and

years bef

x!" Taffy

Honoria, "but we wo

month

E

shall meet the Mayers, though we're too late,

in a suit stained orange-tawny, with a tallow candle stuck with a lump of clay in the br

s. You've come a d

ng over?" Ho

just been home t

parish-with the hal-an-tow, of course-such dancing! Fine and tired some of the maids must be-he wouldn't give much for the work they'd do

their left, which hid the sea, though it lay less than half a mile away and the roar o

er. I belong to Wheal

the cliff, he's lead

ron. I came a bit out

pan

the tin-ore, but not busy. The most of them leaned on their hammers or stood with hands on hips, their laughter drowning the thud, thud of the en

Here's a young lady and gentleman c

decorated with limp bunches of bluebells, and her neck and wrists with twisted daisy chains. She skipped up to Honoria and held out

ng for my doll,

rue beggar's whine: "Spare a copper! My only child, dear kind lady, and its only f

again. Honoria did not laugh.

our name?"

ends the lighthouse. Give me

out a half-

it t

"Give me something-" she began

ll and thrust it into the fishing creel, tossed the coin into Liz

she was in luck's way. But Taffy saw the child's face as she sta

?" he asked, as he c

d not

ath led inland up this valley. They had followed it under pale green shadows, in Indian file, the pony at Honoria's heels and Taffy behind, and stepped out into sunlight again

hills three children were happy. George landed half a dozen trout before lunch-time; but Taffy caught none, partly because he knew nothing about fishing, partly because the chatter of the stream set him telling tales to h

he asked, as he dived

, Taffy, let's floa

mbug, H

o the creel. A minute later, when they were not looking, she

e of you?" George deman

am-"I was wondering where it goes to," he

. But I've heard my father tell that hundreds of years back a big city stood there, with seven fine churches and quays, and deep water alongside and above, so that ship

" interrupted Honoria; "on

he story is that convicts were transp

live in

marks of their pickaxes along the cliffs; I'll show them to you some day. My father knows all about it, because his great-grea

onvicts?" asked Honoria, who had not f

ered at high water; and if you try to cross below, especially when the tide is flowing, just you look out! Twice a day the sands become quick there. They've swallowed scores. I'll tell you anot

on't believe

e that gets up sometimes on hot days, when the sun's drawing water? They say that if you're a mile or two out and this h

knowing that he spoke; and blushed furiously when Ge

describe George's property for him." She yawned. "H

s," George agreed.

in one of the fields was a girl digging alone. She had a ring round her ankle, like the rest, with a chain and iron weight, but she was the most beautiful girl the Prince had ever seen. So he pulled up his horse and asked her who she was, and how she came to be wearing the chain. She told him she was no convict, but the daughter of a convict, and it was the law for the convict's children to wear these things. 'To-night,' said the Prince, 'you shall wear a ring of gold and be a Princess,' and he commanded Jo

puzzled her, with hints and echoes from other stories she half-r

f course he's making it up,

ict's daughter. And full of rage and shame she went away and mixed two cups. The first she gave to the Princess to drink; and when it had killed her (for it was poison) she dipped a finger into the dregs and rubbed it inside the child's lips, and very soon he was dead too. Then she sent for two ankle-chains and weights-one larger and one very small-and fitted them on the two bodies

it by travelling. So he set out again, and John went with him as before. On their journey they stayed for a week with the King of Spain, and there the Prin

agging, but very softly, and up the stairs came a lady in white with a child in her arms. John knew his former mistress at once, and all his memory came ba

babe below

come and then

turned and went slowly pas

on,' or else it's the Princess whose brother was changed into a Roebuck, or else-" But

'Husband,' she said, 'you have been weeping to-night.' 'Well,' said he, 'that is queer, though, for I haven't wept

d on the second night,

babe below

come and the

re her wet hand had rested. But the Prince in the morning co

babe below

ne and gone

and he ran after her. But at the outer door a flash of lightning met him, and such a

under him. Then, by-and-by, the first wife put her child into John's arms and said, 'Save him,' and slipped off his back into the water. 'What sound was that?' asked the Prince. 'That was my heart cracking,' said John. So they went on till the sand rose half-way to their knees. Then the Prince stopped and put his child into John's arms. 'Save him,' he said, and fell forward on his face; and John's heart cracked again. But he went forward in the darkness until the water rose to his waist, and the sand to his knees. He was close to the farther shore now, but could not reach it unless he dropped one of the children; and this he would not do. He bent forward, holding out one in each arm, and co

nute. Even Honoria had gro

out. "It ought to have been the

" said George; "and it's not

y "-with scorn-" would see it." She turned upon t

. For years he remembered the scene-the brown hollow of the hills; the clear evening sky, with the faint purple arch, which is the shadow of the world, climbing h

d, when at length he tore himself

spoiled my afternoon, and I'll trouble