s on his part, and did
not trouble or notice him. Only once was he disturbed, and that was
when the chief boatman came to him and sat down, and after a pause
said:

'Eric, I was over in Bristol yesterday. I was in the ropemaker's
getting a coil to replace the one you lost the night of the storm, and
there I saw Michael Heavens of this place, who is a salesman there. He
told me that Abel Behenna had come home the week ere last on the _Star
of the Sea_ from Canton, and that he had lodged a sight of money in
the Bristol Bank in the name of Sarah Behenna. He told Michael so
himself--and that he had taken passage on the _Lovely Alice_ to
Pencastle. 'Bear up, man,' for Eric had with a groan dropped his head
on his knees, with his face between his hands. 'He was your old
comrade, I know, but you couldn't help him. He must have gone down
with the rest that awful night. I thought I'd better tell you, lest it
might come some other way, and you might keep Sarah Trefusis from
being frightened. They were good friends once, and women take these
things to heart. It would not do to let her be pained with such a
thing on her wedding day!' Then he rose and went away, leaving Eric
still sitting disconsolately with his head on his knees.

'Poor fellow!' murmured the chief boatman to himself; 'he takes it to
heart. Well, well! right enough! They were true comrades once, and
Abel saved him!'

The afternoon of that day, when the children had left school, they
strayed as usual on half-holidays along' the quay and the paths by the
cliffs. Presently some of them came running in a state of great
excitement to the harbour, where a few men were unloading a coal
ketch, and a great many were superintending the operation. One of the
children called out:

'There is a porpoise in the harbour mouth! We saw it come through the
blow-hole! It had a long tail, and was deep under the water!'

'It was no porpoise,' said another; 'it was a seal; but it had a long
tail! It came out of the seal cave!' The other children bore various
testimony, but on two points they were unanimous--it, whatever 'it'
was, had come through the blow-hole deep under the water, and had a
long, thin tail--a tail so long that they could not see the end of it.
There was much unmerciful chaffing of the children by the men on this
point, but as it was evident that they had seen something, quite a
number of persons, young and old, male and female, went along the high
paths on either