bed the less.

Lady Barbara Sinclair was there from Leith; and, seeing Lord Ipsden
standing in the boat with a fisherman, she asked him to tell her what it
was; neither he nor any one answered her.

"Why doesn't she come about, Liston?" cried Lord Ipsden, stamping with
anxiety and impatience.

"She'll no be lang," said Sandy; "but they'll mak a mess o' 't wi' ne'er
a man i' the boat."

"Ye're sure o' thaat?" put in a woman.

"Ay, about she comes," said Liston, as the sail came down on the first
tack. He was mistaken; they dipped the lug as cleverly as any man in the
town could.

"Hech! look at her hauling on the rope like a mon," cried a woman. The
sail flew up on the other tack.

"She's an awfu' lassie,". whined another.

"He's awa," groaned Liston, "he's doon!"

"No! he's up again," cried Lord Ipsden; "but I fear he can't live till
the boat comes to him."

The fisherman and the viscount held on by each other.

"He does na see her, or maybe he'd tak hairt."

"I'd give ten thousand pounds if only he could see her. My God, the man
will be drowned under our eyes. If he but saw her!!!"

The words had hardly left Lord Ipsden's lips, when the sound of a
woman's voice came like an AEolian note across the water.

"Hurraih!" roared Liston, and every creature joined the cheer.

"She'll no let him dee. Ah! she's in the bows, hailing him an' waving
the lad's bonnet ower her head to gie him coorage. Gude bless ye, lass;
Gude bless ye!"

Christie knew it was no use hailing him against the wind, but the moment
she got the wind she darted into the bows, and pitched in its highest
key her full and brilliant voice; after a moment of suspense she
received proof that she must be heard by him, for on the pier now hung
men and women, clustered like bees, breathless with anxiety, and the
moment after she hailed the drowning man, she saw and heard a wild yell
of applause burst from the pier, and the pier was more distant than the
man. She snatched Flucker's cap, planted her foot on the gunwale, held
on by a rope, hailed the poor fellow again, and waved the cap round and
round her head, to give him courage; and in a moment, at the sight of
this, thousands of voices thundered back their cheers to her across
the water. Blow, wind--spring, boat--and you, Christie, still ring life
toward those despairing ears and wave hope to those sinking eyes; cheer
the boat on, you thousands that look upon this action; hurrah! from the
pier