ptain who had been wrecked in the Bay of Biscay;
greatly to her dismay, however, she found herself in the midst of what
seemed a large city in itself--a veritable maze of long streets and
small houses, stretching away into the distance with an endless vista of
chimneypots. In a distinctly sober frame of mind she entered the post
office and proffered her question.

"Smith? I couldn't tell you, I'm sure; there are so many Smiths," said
the girl at the counter, with a superior smile. "One of them may be a
sea captain, for anything I know. You'd better look in the Directory."

Gipsy seized upon the book with a sense of relief, and carried it off to
a less busy part of the office. She turned up Waterloo, found the list
of residents, and went through them in alphabetical order till she
reached the letter S. She was appalled to see the number of Smiths who
resided at Waterloo. To some of the names the Directory had appended an
occupation, but with many it gave no details. Taking one of the
telegraph forms she wrote down the addresses of about a dozen Smiths
who, she considered, might be likely; then, returning the Directory to
the girl at the counter, she started off on her arduous quest.

"I shall go to 'Ocean Villa' first," she thought. "It has a particularly
nautical sound. I shouldn't think anybody but a sea captain could
possibly live there. 'The Anchorage' sounds hopeful too, though it
ought to be the home of somebody who is retired. 'Sea View Cottage' is
doubtful, but 'Teneriffe House' is likely. The _Queen of the Waves_ used
to touch sometimes at Teneriffe. Oh, dear! the trouble will be to hunt
out where they all are."

Poor Gipsy had indeed undertaken a most difficult task. She was obliged
to ask her way again and again, and when at length she arrived at "Ocean
Villa" it was only to meet with the information that nobody of a
seafaring description was known there. Much disappointed, she trudged
away in an opposite direction to find "The Anchorage", and after walking
half a mile or more in search of it, was again confronted with ill
success. At "Sea View Cottage" and "Teneriffe House" she fared no
better; the occupiers, albeit they belonged to the great family of
Smiths, had no connection whatever with the sea: and though she went to
several other addresses on her list, the answer was invariably the same.

Utterly tired out, weary and despondent, Gipsy retraced her steps in the
direction of the post office. Having p