d descends rapidly to
the edge of the sea."

My first really intimate acquaintance with the sea-wrack, crabs,
sea-nettles, jelly-fish, and the thousand and one other small creatures
that inhabit the ocean, dates from this visit to the Long-Beach.

And during this same summer I fell in love for the first time--my
beloved was a little village girl. But here, so that the story may be
related more accurately, I will allow my sister, through the medium of
the old copy-book, to speak again--I merely copy:

"Dozens of the children (fishermen's boys and girls), tanned and brown
and with little legs all bare, followed Pierre, or audaciously hurried
before him, and from time to time turned and looked at him wonderingly
with their beautiful dark eyes. At that time a little gentleman was
a rare enough spectacle in that part of the country to be worth the
trouble of running after.

"Every day Pierre, accompanied by this crowd, would descend to the beach
by means of the little footpath scooped out of the sand. There he would
run and pick up the shells that, upon that coast, are so exquisitely
beautiful. They are yellow, pink, purple and many other bright colors,
and they have the most delicate and varied forms. Pierre admired them
greatly, and the little ones who always followed him would silently
offer him hands full.

"Veronica was the most attentive of all. She was about his own age,
perhaps a little younger, six or seven years of age. She had a sweet,
dreamy little face, a rather pale complexion and lovely gray eyes. She
was protected from the heat by a large white sunbonnet; a kichenote, as
they call it in that part of the country, is a very old word, and means
a large bonnet made of linen and cardboard, which projects over the
face like the head-dress of a nun. Veronica would slip near Pierre,
take possession of his hand, and keep it in hers. Thus they walked along
contentedly without saying a word. They stopped from time to time to
kiss each other. 'I wish to kiss you,' Veronica would say, and as she
did so she embraced him tenderly with her little arms. Then after Pierre
had allowed her the caress he would, in his turn, kiss her vehemently on
her pretty, little, plump cheeks. . . ."

* * * * *

"Little Veronica used to run and seat herself upon our doorstep as soon
as she was up; and there she remained like a faithful, loyal spaniel.
As soon as Pierre woke he thought of her being there, and he would
immediately get o