dead heaps of sea-weed, and at their feet a
black mass of clothing. The children clung together in silent awe.
Neither of them had ever seen a dead body. Hitherto death had been an
abstraction, but now they felt themselves face to face with the reality.

[Illustration: A strange waif of the sea.]

"Let's run and look for father," suggested Jim, in a frightened whisper.

"We can't leave her alone, Jim," responded the girl, now pale and grave
as she had never been before, and looking from the body to the line of
foaming water but a few feet beyond; "the tide might turn and take her
away again."

"I wish it had not brought her!" gasped Jim, through his chattering
teeth.

"Hush," said Elsie; and then, after a pause, "if you go fetch some one,
I'll stay here."

"Aren't you afraid? I am."

"Go," said Elsie, "go quick; it's getting dark."

Hesitatingly the boy left her, and walked almost backwards till he
reached the top of the beach; then, with a short cry of fear, he turned
his hack on the sea, and ran up the path towards his home.

Elsie stood alone with the dead. She looked on the heaps of sea-weeds,
and then along the line of breakers, that seemed even now gathering
strength for a return movement. It was a trying ordeal for a child of
ten, but the terrible novelty of the situation seemed to give her
courage. She advanced towards the body, which she now saw was that of
a woman dressed in black. She lay upon her back, the face only hidden
by the tangled hair and sea-weed. Elsie noticed as she gazed, for what
seemed hours, on the still form, that there was a gold chain round the
neck, and two rings on the finger of the hand that rested upon the
beach. As the gloom of the afternoon deepened, a sense of pity and
yearning quite new to her, and which destroyed all fear, crept over the
child. An irresistible longing urged her to draw back the tangled hair
from the face. For a moment she turned away terrified, but then knelt
down, and with trembling hands began to draw out the weeds, and to
smooth back the heavy brown hair from the cold face. She grew absorbed
in her task, and almost fancied the worn, yet beautiful and gentle
features looked pleased and grateful. She even ventured to lift the
heavy arm from the sand, but it fell back so stiffly that the child was
terrified, and stood a little apart, wondering where the poor lady had
come from. She knew not how long she had waited, when she was aroused
by t