ur wedding-day fixed, our cottage
looked after, our boat and nets bought; in fact, our home and business
set a-goin'. And why not at once, Nelly? Surely you have not
repented--"

"No, Bill Bowls," said Nelly, blushing, and laying her hand on the arm
of her companion, "I have not repented, and never will repent, of having
accepted the best man that ever came to Fairway; but--"

The girl paused and looked down.

"There you go," cried the sailor: "the old story. I knew you would come
to that `but,' and that you'd stick there. Why don't you go on? If I
thought that you wanted to wait a year or two, I could easily find work
in these times; for Admiral Nelson is glad to get men to follow him to
the wars, an' Tom Riggles and I have been talkin' about goin' off
together."

"Don't speak of _that_, Bill," said the girl earnestly. "I dread the
thought of you going to the wars; but--but--the truth is, I cannot make
up my mind to quit my mother."

"You don't need to quit her," said Bill; "bring her with you. I'll be
glad to have her at my fireside, for your sake, Nell."

"But she won't leave the old house."

"H'm! well, that difficulty may be got over by my comin' to the old
house, since the old 'ooman won't come to the noo one. I can rent it
from her, and buy up the furniture as it stands; so that there will be
no occasion for her to move out of her chair.--Why, what's the objection
to that plan?" he added, on observing that Nelly shook her head.

"She would never consent to sell the things,--not even to you, Bill; and
she has been so long the head of the house that I don't think she would
like to--to--"

"To play second fiddle," put in the sailor. "Very good, but I won't ask
to play first fiddle. In fact, she may have first, second, and third,
and double bass and trombone, all to herself as far as I am concerned.
Come, Nelly, don't let us have any more `buts'; just name the day, and
I'll bear down on the parson this very afternoon."

Leaving them to continue the discussion of this interesting point, we
will turn into the cottage and visit the old woman who stood so much in
the way of our hero's wishes.

Mrs Blyth was one of those unfortunates who, although not very old,
have been, by ill-health, reduced to the appearance of extreme old age.
Nevertheless, she had been blessed with that Christian spirit of calm,
gentle resignation, which is frequently seen in aged invalids, enabling
them to bear up cheerfully