er.

It was in her favour that he was appointed to a ship, since he was thus
excluded from exercising any supervision over them at Castle Blanch, and
shortly after, letters arrived gratefully acceding to her request.
Family arrangements and an intended journey made her proposal doubly
welcome, for the present at least, and Mrs. Charteris was full of polite
thanks.

Poor little waifs and strays! No one else wanted them, but with her at
least they had a haven of refuge, and she loved them the more ardently
for their forlorn condition. Her own as they had never before been! and
if the tenure were uncertain, she prized it doubly, even though, by a
strange fatality, she had never had so much trouble and vexation with
them as arose at once on their being made over to her! When all was
settled, doubt over, and the routine life begun, Lucilla evidently felt
the blank of her vanished hopes, and became fretful and captious, weary
of things in general, and without sufficient motive to control her
natural taste for the variety of naughtiness! Honor had not undertaken
the easiest of tasks, but she neither shrank from her enterprise nor
ceased to love the fiery little flighty sprite, the pleasing torment of
her life--she loved her only less than that model of childish sweetness,
her little Owen.

* * * * *

'Lucy, dear child, don't take your brother there. Owen dear, come back,
don't you see the mud? you'll sink in.'

'I'm only getting a dear little crab, Sweet Honey,' and the four little
feet went deeper and deeper into the black mud.

'I can't have it done! come back, children, I desire, directly.'

The boy would have turned, but his sister had hold of his hand. 'Owen,
there he is! I'll have him,' and as the crab scuttled sidelong after the
retreating tide, on plunged the children.

'Lucy, come here!' cried the unfortunate old hen, as her ducklings took
to the black amphibious mass, but not a whit did Lucilla heed. In the
ardour of the chase, on she went, unheeding, leaving her brother sticking
half way, where having once stopped, he began to find it difficult to
withdraw his feet, and fairly screamed to 'Sweet Honey' for help. His
progress was not beyond what a few long vigorous steps of hers could come
up with, but deeply and blackly did she sink, and when she had lifted her
truant out of his two holes, the increased weight made her go ankle deep
at the first tread, and just at th