o a faint smile as she turned towards the
fire and looked earnestly at it, as if for explanation or consolation.

"Ay ay," she muttered, "it would have bin strange if you hadn't wished
that; you was always up to mischief, Tommy; always; or else wishin' to
be up to it, although you might know as well as I know myself, that if
you did get leave to go hout to the Rock (which you're for ever wantin'
to do), it would be wet feet an dirty pinafores mornin', noon, an'
night, which it's little you care for that, you bad boy, though it
causes me no end of washin' an' dryin',--ay ay!"

The old woman looked up in the smiling countenance of her stalwart son,
and becoming apparently a little confused by reminiscences of the past
and evidences of the present, retired within herself and relapsed into
silence.

"Well, sur," continued Teddy, "just give a look down if you can; it's
worth your while. Mr Smeaton means to have every stone cut in the yard
here on shore, and to lay down each `course' in the yard too, to be sure
that it all fits, for we'll have no time out at the Rock to correct
mistakes or make alterations. It'll be `sharp's the word, boys, and
look alive O!' all through; ship the stones; off to the Rock; land 'em
in hot haste; clap on the cement; down wi' the blocks; work like
blazes--or Irishmen, which is much the same thing; make all fast into
the boats again; sailors shoutin' `Look alive, me hearties! squall
bearin' down right abaft of the lee stuns'l gangway!'--or somethin' like
that; up sail, an' hooroo! boys, for the land, weather permittin'; if
not, out to say an' take things aisy, or av ye can't be aisy, be as aisy
as ye can!"

"A pleasant prospect, truly," said Mr T. Potter, laughing, as he shook
the Irishman's horny hand.

"Good-bye, John. Good-bye, Nora, me darlin'; Good-bye, owld ooman."

"Hold your noise, lad," said old Martha, looking gravely into her
visitor's face.

"That's just what I manes to do, mavoorneen," replied Teddy Maroon, with
a pleasant nod, "for I'll be off to the Rock to-morrow by day-break,
weather permittin', an' it's little help any noise from me would give to
the waves that kape gallivantin' wid the reefs out there like mad
things, from Sunday to Saturday, all the year round."

When the door shut on the noisy Irishman, it seemed as though one of the
profound calms so much needed and desired out at the Eddystone Rock had
settled down in old John Potter's home--a calm which was no