th but half an eye.

Two or three days would finish their journey now. The weather and wind
continued fair; they dipped Tonga in the salt wave, and stood on and on
towards the unseen haven of their hopes and duties. A new change came
over Eleanor. It could not be reason, for reason had striven in vain.
Perhaps it was nature, which turning a corner took a new view of the
subject. But from the time of their leaving Tonga, she was unable to
entertain such troublesome apprehensions of what the end of the voyage
might have in store for her. Something whispered it could be nothing
very bad; and that point that she had so dreaded began to gather a glow
of widely different promise. A little nervousness and trepidation
remained about the thought of it; the determination abode fast to see
the very first word and look and know what they portended; but in place
of the rest of Eleanor's downhearted fear, there came now an
overwhelming sense of shamefacedness. This was something quite new and
unexpected; she had never known in her life more than a slight touch of
it before; and now it consumed her. Even before Mr. and Mrs. Amos she
felt it; and her eyes shunned theirs the last day or two as if she had
been a shy child. Why was it? She could not help it. This seemed to be
as natural and as unreasonable as the other; and in her lonely night
watches, instead of trembling and sinking of heart, Eleanor was
conscious that her cheeks dyed themselves with that unconquerable
feeling of shame. Very inconsistent indeed with her former state of
feeling; and that was according to Mrs. Caxton's words; not being
reasonable, reason could not be expected from them in anything. Her
friends had not penetrated her former mood; this they saw and smiled
at; and indeed it made Eleanor very lovely. There was a shy, blushing
grace about her the last day or two of the voyage which touched all she
did; indeed Mrs. Amos declared she could see it through the little
close straw bonnet, and it made her want to take Eleanor in her arms
and keep her there. Mr. Amos responded in his way of subdued fun, that
it was lucky she could not; as it would be likely to be a disputed
possession, and he did not want to get into a quarrel with his brethren
the first minute of his getting to land.

Up came Eleanor with some trifle for Mrs. Amos which she had been
preparing.

"We are almost in, sister Eleanor!" said Mr. Amos. "The captain says he
sees the land."

Eleanor's sta