ones in their strong arms, while
others assisted the women along, and wrapped dry shawls round them.

"How dreadful to think," said Katie, making a hard struggle to suppress
her agitation, "that all these would have been lost but for the
lifeboat; and how wonderful to think that some of our own friends should
be among them!"

"Ay, there be many more besides these saved last night, miss," remarked
a sturdy old boatman who chanced to be standing beside her. "All along
the east coast the lifeboats has bin out, miss, you may be sure; and
they don't often shove off without bringin' somethin' back to show for
their pains, though they don't all 'ave steamers for to tug 'em out.
There's the Broadstairs boat, now; I've jist heerd she was out all night
an' saved fifteen lives; an' the Walmer and Deal boats has fetched in a
lot, I believe, though we han't got particklers yet."

Besides those whom we have mentioned as gazing with the crowd at the
arrival of the lifeboat, Morley Jones, and Nora, and Billy Towler were
there. Jones and Billy had returned from London together the night
before the storm, and, like nearly every one else in the town, had
turned out to witness the arrival of the lifeboat.

Dick Moy also was there, and that huge lump of good-nature spent the
time in making sagacious remarks and wise comments on wind and weather,
wrecks and rescues, in a manner that commanded the intense admiration of
a knot of visitors who happened to be near him, and who regarded him as
a choice specimen--a sort of type--of the British son of Neptune.

"This is wot _I_ says," observed Dick, while the people were landing "so
long as there's 'ope, 'old on. Never say die, and never give in; them's
my sentiments. 'Cause why? no one never knows wot may turn up. If your
ship goes down; w'y, wot then? Strike out, to be sure. P'r'aps you may
be picked up afore long. If sharks is near, p'r'aps you may be picked
down. You can never tell. If you gets on a shoal, wot then? w'y, stick
to the ship till a lifeboat comes off to 'ee. Don't never go for to
take to your own boats. If you do--capsize, an' Davy Jones's locker is
the word. If the lifeboat can't git alongside; w'y, wait till it can.
If it can't; w'y, it can only be said that it couldn't. No use cryin'
over spilt milk, you know. Not that I cares for milk. It don't keep at
sea, d'ye see; an's only fit for babbys. If the lifeboat capsizes; w'y,
then, owin' to her parfection o'