rew out
his broad, round chest, as if the gash in his shoulder were an epaulet
or a band of stars instead.

"Of course, I can do something for you," said the woman he had
addressed, very cheerfully and quickly. "I have the best healing salve
in all the country;" and, running away, she quickly returned with a roll
of linen, and the invaluable salve.

"I must look at the wound, and see if it wants washing out. Ugh! O,
dear! it is a dreadful cut, and ragged. You will have to go to the
doctor with that, I'm afraid. But I'll just put this on to-night, to
prevent your taking cold in it; though you will take cold, anyway, if
you do not get a change of clothes;" and the good woman looked round at
her husband, asking him with her eyes to offer this very necessary
kindness.

"You'll stop with us to-night, Joe," said the man, in answer to this
appeal, "an' the sooner you git off them wet clothes the better. I'll
lend you some o' mine."

"Yes, indeed, Mr. Chillis, you must get out of these wet things, and put
on some of Ben's. Then you will let me get you a bit of hot supper, and
go right to bed. You don't look as if you could sit up. There!" she
added, as the salve was pressed gently down over the torn flesh, and
heaving a deep sigh, "if you feel half as sick as I do, just looking at
it, you will do well to get ready to lie down."

"Thankee, ma'am. It's worth a man's while to git hurt a leetle, ef he
has a lady to take care o' him," answered Chillis, gallantly. "But I
can't accept your kindness any furder to-night. Ef I can git the loan of
a lantern an' a pair o' oars, it is all I ask, for home I must go, as
soon as possible."

"Ben will lend you a lantern," said the mail-carrier, "an' I will lend
you the oars, as I promised; but what on earth you want to go any
further in this storm for, beats me."

"This storm has only jist begun, and its goin' to last three days,"
returned Chillis. "No use waitin' for it to quit; so, good-night to you
all. I've made a pretty mess o' your floor," he added, turning to glance
at the little black puddles that had drained out of his great spongy
blanket coat, and run down through his leaky boots on to the
white-scoured boards of the kitchen; then, glancing from them to the
mistress of the house--"I hope you'll excuse me." And with that he
opened the door quickly, and shut himself out into the tempest once
more, making his way by the lantern's aid to the boat-house at the
landing, where he