seafaring life. Several neighbours called to listen, and were asked to
come in. Somehow Emily Hanning lost her heart to the sailor that Sunday
night, and in the course of a week or two there was a tender
understanding between them.

One moonlight evening in the next month Shadrach was ascending out of the
town by the long straight road eastward, to an elevated suburb where the
more fashionable houses stood--if anything near this ancient port could
be called fashionable--when he saw a figure before him whom, from her
manner of glancing back, he took to be Emily. But, on coming up, he
found she was Joanna Phippard. He gave a gallant greeting, and walked
beside her.

'Go along,' she said, 'or Emily will be jealous!'

He seemed not to like the suggestion, and remained. What was said and
what was done on that walk never could be clearly recollected by
Shadrach; but in some way or other Joanna contrived to wean him away from
her gentler and younger rival. From that week onwards, Jolliffe was seen
more and more in the wake of Joanna Phippard and less in the company of
Emily; and it was soon rumoured about the quay that old Jolliffe's son,
who had come home from sea, was going to be married to the former young
woman, to the great disappointment of the latter.

Just after this report had gone about, Joanna dressed herself for a walk
one morning, and started for Emily's house in the little cross-street.
Intelligence of the deep sorrow of her friend on account of the loss of
Shadrach had reached her ears also, and her conscience reproached her for
winning him away.

Joanna was not altogether satisfied with the sailor. She liked his
attentions, and she coveted the dignity of matrimony; but she had never
been deeply in love with Jolliffe. For one thing, she was ambitious, and
socially his position was hardly so good as her own, and there was always
the chance of an attractive woman mating considerably above her. It had
long been in her mind that she would not strongly object to give him back
again to Emily if her friend felt so very badly about him. To this end
she had written a letter of renunciation to Shadrach, which letter she
carried in her hand, intending to send it if personal observation of
Emily convinced her that her friend was suffering.

Joanna entered Sloop Lane and stepped down into the stationery-shop,
which was below the pavement level. Emily's father was never at home at
this hour of the day, and it