he truth o't is, he's engaged just now at Portsmouth, like
a good many of the rest from our ship. . . . 'Tis a very nice young
woman that he's a courting of, and I make no doubt that she'll be an
excellent wife for him.'

'Ah!' said Mrs. Loveday, in a warning tone.

'Courting--wife?' said the miller.

They instinctively looked towards Anne. Anne had started as if shaken by
an invisible hand, and a thick mist of doubt seemed to obscure the
intelligence of her eyes. This was but for two or three moments. Very
pale, she arose and went right up to the seaman. John gently tried to
intercept her, but she passed him by.

'Do you speak of Robert Loveday as courting a wife?' she asked, without
the least betrayal of emotion.

'I didn't see you, miss,' replied Cornick, turning. 'Yes, your brother
hev' his eye on a wife, and he deserves one. I hope you don't mind?'

'Not in the least,' she said, with a stage laugh. 'I am interested,
naturally. And what is she?'

'A very nice young master-baker's daughter, honey. A very wise choice of
the young man's.'

'Is she fair or dark?'

'Her hair is rather light.'

'I like light hair; and her name?'

'Her name is Caroline. But can it be that my story hurts ye? If so--'

'Yes, yes,' said John, interposing anxiously. 'We don't care for more
just at this moment.'

'We _do_ care for more!' said Anne vehemently. 'Tell it all, sailor.
That is a very pretty name, Caroline. When are they going to be
married?'

'I don't know as how the day is settled,' answered Jim, even now scarcely
conscious of the devastation he was causing in one fair breast. 'But
from the rate the courting is scudding along at, I should say it won't be
long first.'

'If you see him when you go back, give him my best wishes,' she lightly
said, as she moved away. 'And,' she added, with solemn bitterness, 'say
that I am glad to hear he is making such good use of the first days of
his escape from the Valley of the Shadow of Death!' She went away,
expressing indifference by audibly singing in the distance--

'Shall we go dance the round, the round, the round,
Shall we go dance the round?'

'Your sister is lively at the news,' observed Jim Cornick.

'Yes,' murmured John gloomily, as he gnawed his lower lip and kept his
eyes fixed on the fire.

'Well,' continued the man from the Victory, 'I won't say that your
brother's intended ha'n't got some ballast, which is very lucky for'n, as
h