is come home; they can't find the French anywhere.'

'Will they go and look for them again?' asked Bob.

'O yes. Nelson is determined to find 'em. As soon as he's refitted
he'll put to sea again. Ah, here's the King coming in.'

Bob was so interested in what he had just heard that he scarcely noticed
the arrival of the King, and a body of attendant gentlemen. He went on
thinking of his new knowledge; Captain Hardy was come. He was doubtless
staying with his family at their small manor-house at Pos'ham, a few
miles from Overcombe, where he usually spent the intervals between his
different cruises.

Loveday returned to the mill without further delay; and shortly
explaining that John was very well, and would come soon, went on to talk
of the arrival of Nelson's captain.

'And is he come at last?' said the miller, throwing his thoughts years
backward. 'Well can I mind when he first left home to go on board the
Helena as midshipman!'

'That's not much to remember. I can remember it too,' said Mrs. Loveday.

''Tis more than twenty years ago anyhow. And more than that, I can mind
when he was born; I was a lad, serving my 'prenticeship at the time. He
has been in this house often and often when 'a was young. When he came
home after his first voyage he stayed about here a long time, and used to
look in at the mill whenever he went past. "What will you be next, sir?"
said mother to him one day as he stood with his back to the doorpost. "A
lieutenant, Dame Loveday," says he. "And what next?" says she. "A
commander." "And next?" "Next, post-captain." "And then?" "Then it
will be almost time to die." I'd warrant that he'd mind it to this very
day if you were to ask him.'

Bob heard all this with a manner of preoccupation, and soon retired to
the mill. Thence he went to his room by the back passage, and taking his
old seafaring garments from a dark closet in the wall conveyed them to
the loft at the top of the mill, where he occupied the remaining spare
moments of the day in brushing the mildew from their folds, and hanging
each article by the window to get aired. In the evening he returned to
the loft, and dressing himself in the old salt suit, went out of the
house unobserved by anybody, and ascended the road towards Captain
Hardy's native village and present temporary home.

The shadeless downs were now brown with the droughts of the passing
summer, and few living things met his view, the natural rotu