g them that there were supposed
to be more than fifteen hundred of these boats, and that they would carry
a hundred men apiece. So that a descent of one hundred and fifty
thousand men might be expected any day as soon as Boney had brought his
plans to bear.

'Lord ha' mercy upon us!' said William Tremlett.

'The night-time is when they will try it, if they try it at all,' said
old Tullidge, in the tone of one whose watch at the beacon must, in the
nature of things, have given him comprehensive views of the situation.
'It is my belief that the point they will choose for making the shore is
just over there,' and he nodded with indifference towards a section of
the coast at a hideous nearness to the house in which they were
assembled, whereupon Fencible Tremlett, and Cripplestraw of the Locals,
tried to show no signs of trepidation.

'When d'ye think 'twill be?' said Volunteer Comfort, the blacksmith.

'I can't answer to a day,' said the corporal, 'but it will certainly be
in a down-channel tide; and instead of pulling hard against it, he'll let
his boats drift, and that will bring 'em right into Budmouth Bay. 'Twill
be a beautiful stroke of war, if so be 'tis quietly done!'

'Beautiful,' said Cripplestraw, moving inside his clothes. 'But how if
we should be all abed, corpel? You can't expect a man to be brave in his
shirt, especially we Locals, that have only got so far as shoulder fire-
locks.'

'He's not coming this summer. He'll never come at all,' said a tall
sergeant-major decisively.

Loveday the soldier was too much engaged in attending upon Anne and her
mother to join in these surmises, bestirring himself to get the ladies
some of the best liquor the house afforded, which had, as a matter of
fact, crossed the Channel as privately as Buonaparte wished his army to
do, and had been landed on a dark night over the cliff. After this he
asked Anne to sing, but though she had a very pretty voice in private
performances of that nature, she declined to oblige him; turning the
subject by making a hesitating inquiry about his brother Robert, whom he
had mentioned just before.

'Robert is as well as ever, thank you, Miss Garland,' he said. 'He is
now mate of the brig Pewit--rather young for such a command; but the
owner puts great trust in him.' The trumpet-major added, deepening his
thoughts to a profounder view of the person discussed, 'Bob is in love.'

Anne looked conscious, and listened attentively; but