he face of the gentlest breeze;
and Bob pursued: 'I am afraid the berries will stain your pretty hands.'

'I wear gloves.'

'Ah, that's a plan I should never have thought of. Can I help you?'

'Not at all.'

'You are offended: that's what that means.'

'No,' she said.

'Then will you shake hands?'

Anne hesitated; then slowly stretched out her hand, which he took at
once. 'That will do,' she said, finding that he did not relinquish it
immediately. But as he still held it, she pulled, the effect of which
was to draw Bob's swaying person, bough and all, towards her, and herself
towards him.

'I am afraid to let go your hand,' said that officer, 'for if I do your
spar will fly back, and you will be thrown upon the deck with great
violence.'

'I wish you to let me go!'

He accordingly did, and she flew back, but did not by any means fall.

'It reminds me of the times when I used to be aloft clinging to a yard
not much bigger than this tree-stem, in the mid-Atlantic, and thinking
about you. I could see you in my fancy as plain as I see you now.'

'Me, or some other woman!' retorted Anne haughtily.

'No!' declared Bob, shaking the bush for emphasis, 'I'll protest that I
did not think of anybody but you all the time we were dropping down
channel, all the time we were off Cadiz, all the time through battles and
bombardments. I seemed to see you in the smoke, and, thinks I, if I go
to Davy's locker, what will she do?'

'You didn't think that when you landed after Trafalgar.'

'Well, now,' said the lieutenant in a reasoning tone; 'that was a curious
thing. You'll hardly believe it, maybe; but when a man is away from the
woman he loves best in the port--world, I mean--he can have a sort of
temporary feeling for another without disturbing the old one, which flows
along under the same as ever.'

'I can't believe it, and won't,' said Anne firmly.

Molly now appeared with the empty basket, and when it had been filled
from the heap on the grass, Anne went home with her, bidding Loveday a
frigid adieu.

The same evening, when Bob was absent, the miller proposed that they
should all three go to an upper window of the house, to get a distant
view of some rockets and illuminations which were to be exhibited in the
town and harbour in honour of the King, who had returned this year as
usual. They accordingly went upstairs to an empty attic, placed chairs
against the window, and put out the light; Anne sitting in