nding in
aweather, so cleverly do they try to split the eye of the breeze. I'm
for sailing myself," and he cast a glance up at the rapful canvas,
following it on with a look at Jacob Crew, who was suddenly gnawing
upon his quid at the tiller, as though to keep him in mind by the
expression of his eye of injunctions previously delivered.

The greater part of this day Grace and I spent on deck, but nothing
whatever happened good enough to keep my tale waiting whilst I tell you
about it. Strong as the off-shore breeze was, there was but little
sea, nothing to stop the yacht, and she ran through it like a sledge
over a snow plain, piling the froth to her stem-head and reeling off a
fair nine knots as Caudel would cry out to me with an exultant
countenance of leather every time the log was hove. He talked of being
abreast of the _Start_ by three o'clock in the morning.

"Then," said I to my sweetheart, "if that be so, Grace, there will be
but a short cruise to follow."

At this she looked grave, and fastened her eye with a wistful
expression upon the sea over the bows as though Mount's Bay lay there,
and as though the quaint old town of Penzance, with its long esplanade
and rich flanking of green and well-tilled heights, would be presently
showing.

I read her thoughts and said, "I have never met Mrs. Howe, but Frank's
letters about her to me were as enthusiastic as mine were about you to
him. He calls her sweetly pretty. So she may be. I know she is a
lady; her connections are good; I am also convinced by Frank's
description that she is amiable; consequently, I am certain she will
make you happy and comfortable until--" and here I squeezed her hand..

"It is a desperate step, Herbert," she sighed.

Upon which I changed the subject.

There was a noble flaring sunset that evening. The crimson of it was
deep and thunderous; the wild splendour was rendered portentous by an
appearance as of bars of cloud stretched horizontally across, as though
they railed in the flames of a continent on fire. All day long the
wind had been heading us a little off our course, which by magnetic
compass was about W.S.W., and this magnificence of sunset at which
Grace and I continued to stare with eyes of admiration and wonder,
neither of us having ever seen the like of the red and burning glory
that overhung the sea, stood well up on the starboard bow. The Channel
waters ran to it in a dark and frothing green till they were smitte