Roger; surely he must be Stephen Battiscombe!"

"You are right in your conjecture, my dear Madam Pauline," said Stephen;
and the little French lady, seizing both his hands and looking into his
face kindly, then hurried him off to see the Colonel and Mr Willoughby,
to whom he had to narrate, as briefly as he could, his and Roger's
adventures, and give the messages which his friend had sent by him. Mr
Willoughby was anxious to see Roger before he again sailed, but his
difficulty was to know where to find him.

"I must write to Master Handscombe," he observed; "he will ascertain
when the _Benbow_ frigate comes into port, and will easily convey a
message on board desiring him to come, and requesting the Captain to
give him leave."

After partaking of some refreshment served to him by the fair hands of
Mistress Alice, Stephen set off to return home. Next morning he came
back to Eversden. He omitted in his hurry, he said, to pay old Ben
Rullock for bringing him from Lyme. He invited Mistress Alice to
accompany him to the beach.

"It is a path I have often trod alone of late," she answered, "and I
know not why I should hesitate in accompanying you."

As Madam Pauline did not forbid her, she accompanied Stephen. Their
conversation was probably interesting to themselves, but it need not be
recorded. Stephen, of course, had a vast deal to tell her of his
adventures, which she had not hitherto heard. This made them linger on
the way, and sit down on the top of the cliffs, that they might converse
more at their ease.

Certain it was that Madam Pauline considered it her duty to chide
Mistress Alice for being away so long from home, although Stephen took
the blame on himself by saying that he had to wait for some time to see
old Ben, who was out in his boat, but he promised to try and keep better
time in future. Day after day, on some excuse or other, he returned to
Eversden. His father, he said, had written to his friend Mr Kempson at
Bristol, who would, he believed, restore him to his position in the
counting-house, while he hoped, from the encouragement he had before
received, that he should soon make a satisfactory income, which would
enable him to set up house for himself. He did not venture to say who
would share his fortune with him, or to hint that Mistress Alice might
be interested in the matter.

All this time no news had been received of Roger. Mr Willoughby had
written to Mr Handscombe, who was still i