the question to wake him, when
he is sleeping so uneasily."

She left the tent, with hardly a glance toward Jack Ferrers, who lay in
the farthest cot. The idea of waking him, and having him disturb her own
boys, was too preposterous to be entertained for an instant.

The black shadow had crept entirely over the moon; no silver disk now,
only a shield of dull bronze; "like some of the Pompeiian bronzes!" Mrs.
Merryweather thought. "It is very extraordinary. I suppose I really
_ought_ to wake Miles."

She entered her own tent, and stood by her husband's cot. Miles
Merryweather was sleeping quite as soundly as any of his children; in
fact, he was a very statue of sleep; but his wife laid her hand gently
on his shoulder. "Miles!" she said; it must be confessed that she did
not speak very loud. "Miles, there is an eclipse!"

Mr. Merryweather did not stir.

"Miles! do you want to wake up?"

No reply; no motion of the long, still form. Mrs. Merryweather breathed
more freely. "Miles was more tired to-night than I have seen him all
summer!" she said. "He cannot remember that we are not twenty-five any
more. It is very bad for a man to get overtired when he is no longer
young. Well, I certainly did try to wake him; but such a _very_ sound
sleep as this shows how much he needed it. I am sure it is much more
important for him to sleep than to see the eclipse; it isn't as if he
had not seen plenty of eclipses in his life. Of course, if it had been
the sun, it would have been different."

She stood at the door of the tent, watching. Slowly, slowly, the black
shadow passed; slowly, slowly, the silver crescent widened to a broad
arc, and finally to the perfect argent round; once more the whole world
lay bathed in silver light. Mrs. Merryweather gazed on peacefully, and
murmured under her breath certain words that she loved:

"'Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is gone to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair,
State in wonted measure keep.
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright!'

"But if Roger had been here," said Miranda Merryweather, "I should
certainly have waked him, because he is a scientific man, and it would
have been only right!"

CHAPTER XII.

"SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT--"

"A wet sheet and a flowing sea,
A wind that follows fast--"

PHIL MERRYWEATHER was singing as he brought his boat about. "