trumpery toy shop; that its "scenery" was
fitly adorned with bazaars for the sale of sham jewelry; that its
amusements were on a par with those of Rosherville gardens; that its
rocks were made of mud and its sea of powdered lime?

"By heavens," exclaimed her antagonist, "I will stand this no longer. I
will call upon Neptune to raise such a storm in the Solent as shall
convince you that there is quite enough sea surrounding that pearl of
islands, that paradise, that world's wonder we are going to visit."

"Yes, I have no doubt," said she with sweet sarcasm, "that if you
stirred the Solent with a teaspoon, you would frighten the yachtsmen
there out of their wits."

"Oh, Violet," cried another young lady, "you know you were dreadfully
frightened that night in Tobermory bay, when the equinoctial gales
caught us, and the men were tramping overhead all night long."

"I should be more frightened down here," was the retort, "because if we
were driven ashore I should be choked first and drowned afterward. Fancy
going out of the world with a taste of chalk in your mouth."

"Well, at this moment the fierce discussion was stopped by the arrival
of the train at Portsmouth; but here a very singular incident occurred.
Violet was the first to step out on to the platform.

"You have a tramway car that goes down to the pier, have you not?" she
asked of the guard.

"Ain't going to-day, miss," was the answer. "Boats can't come in to
Southsea--the sea is very high. You'll have to go to Portsea, miss."

Now, what was this man's amazement on seeing this young lady suddenly
burst out laughing as she turned and looked into the carriage.

"Did you hear that?" she cried. "The Solent is raging! They can't come
near Southsea! Don't you think, Mrs. Warrener, that it will be very
dangerous to go to Portsea?"

"I'll tell you what it is," said Mrs. Warrener with a malicious smile,
"if a certain young lady I know were to be ill in crossing, she would be
a good deal more civil to her native country when she reached the other
side."

But in good truth, when they got down to Portsea there was a pretty
stiff breeze blowing; and the walk out on the long pier was not a little
trying to an invalid who had but lately recovered the use of his limbs.
The small steamer, too, was tossing about considerably at her moorings;
and Violet pretended to be greatly alarmed because she did not see
half-a-dozen lifeboats on board. Then the word was given; the cab