A Sailor's Lass

ly rippled as with tiny wavelets. Standing at the very edge of the sands, with her eyes shaded, and her clothes blowing round her bare legs, was a little

minutes, and then turned and walk

ick," she said, in

at scooping the loose sand up in a heap, be

the little girl, as she waded through the

Dick, "mother said you coul

the sand to the salt-marsh beyond. Here the samphire grew in abundance, an

ick," she called, hardly re

e some more of them letters. You said you would,

been here;" and this time the little girl fairly burst into tears, and sat do

the sight of her distress, an

n at the letters. I know three-A B C: you'll soon find

m if I had a book," she said, sadly;

t we see him with that book yesterday, for it ain't no good for us to think about it," concluded Dick; for he did not like to see Tiny's tears, and the easie

ost everything m

ver forget to say your prayers before you go to bed

as waiting to hear you?" said Tiny, lif

e waiting to hear

the little girl for a minute o

I'm a'most sure He's wa

an to pull away at the samphire, by way of working off or digesting the wo

es for us down here

th her hands fu

loves me," she added, in a tone of triumph; "my mother t

e everybody likes you-mother, and father, and Bob; and Harry Hayes showed you his book yesterday. You see yo

't He love you,

nd legs. "Well, I'm just Dick of the Point. I ain't a gal, and I ain't pretty." Nobody could dispute the latter fact, which Dick himself se

n't pretty, but I love you;" and she threw her arms round his neck as he stooped over the basket

tears that had suddenly come into them. "I don't never say no prayers nor nothing. I ain'

said Tiny; "but if you'll hel

yer do?" a

ng her hands on the basket, and looking anxiously across the sea. "Mother said he

o connection between a visit to the village and t

nd then we'd see the shops; and if he had a good take, and we got a lot of samphire

s your secret; this is what you've been

You needn't laugh," she s

no whisky, and there was bookshops at Fellness, you mig

ng comes from Fellness," add

all brilliantly lighted at night, had formed magnificently vague notions of Fellness as being something like this; and she had only got to go there, and it would be easy to coax t

ere they sells flour, and bread, and 'bacca, and tea, and sugar, and soap. They has meat there som

ou can't see 'em," suggested Tiny, who w

ill when they sells books a

Dick, dad's coming," she exclaimed. "Make haste-make haste and fill up the baskets;" and she tore away at the seaweed, piling it into the baskets as fast as her small hands would

ather. "There's plenty of time," he said, l

on't you know I'm going

lots o' times to go out with him, and yer never would? You'll jus

l. But as she spoke a shiver of fear and dread ran

as afraid," he said, in a mocking tone; "what's th

find out what we want to know. Oh, do make haste!" s

eased her as they went along about being frightened. They got across the

iny, shutting her eyes as she spoke that she might

nd it was wonderful to see the change in his hard face

said Dick, "but I don'

t of samphire-all that, and another basketful up there? Go and fe

o coax her out with him on the sea; but the memory of that awful night on the bar sands still clung to h

h a shiver of fear, as the fisherman carefully lifted

en a bit fresh to-night, I wouldn't take y

now, as he pushed off from the shore, he was careful to keep the old boat as steady as possible, and sat watching her little frightened face as he plied his oar

frightened, and ventured to ask a q

hile Bob unloads the boat," said Coombe

asked Tiny; for she did not b

or a minute to stare at the little girl. "Well, there's a sho

books?" asked

books?" he said. "But I know of something they do sell, as 'll suit you a deal better; they

t in anticipation of these unwonted dai

daddy? I'd rather have a book

a book, a little 'un like yo

we wants to find out whether G

ugh again. "Well, you are a rum 'un as ever I came across. Did you hear that, Bob?" he

saying now

boys and gals, wasn't it?" asked the fisher

hat," said Bob, sharply. "He forgot us long

t, little 'un?" said the fishe

, and He listens when I say my prayers. But s'pose I tell him," she suddenly added, as though the thought had just occurred

on as a most extraordinary whim, but he never remembered seeing such a thing as a book in Fellness all the years he had known the

nd so, between daylight and moonlight, they would be able to get bac

he little 'un up to see Dame Peters," said

uld not divest herself of the idea that Fellness was a grand, glorious place, where everything could be bought

and as for shops-well, she could see a row of stone cottages at a distance. There might be a dozen, perhaps, and a few sheds and outbuildings, but