o say they were likely to bear away a
token from the Susan. She was one among the damsels of colour, and free
of her tokens, especially to the spotless.

How it occurred, nobody saw; though everybody saw how naturally it must
occur for the white ducks to 'have it in the eye' by the time they had
been on board a quarter of an hour. Weyburn got some fun out of them, for
a counterbalance to a twitch of sentimental regret scarcely decipherable,
as that the last view of him should bear a likeness of Browny's
recollection of her first.

A glorious morning of flushed open sky and sun on sea chased all small
thoughts out of it. The breeze was from the west, and the Susan, lightly
laden, took the heave of smooth rollers with a flowing current-curtsey in
the motion of her speed. Fore-sail and aft were at their gentle strain;
her shadow rippled fragmentarily along to the silver rivulet and boat of
her wake. Straight she flew to the ball of fire now at spring above the
waters, and raining red gold on the line of her bows. By comparison she
was an ugly yawl, and as the creature of wind and wave beautiful.

They passed an English defensive fort, and spared its walls, in obedience
to Matthew Shale's good counsel that they should forbear from sneezing.
Little Collett pointed to the roof of his mother's house twenty paces
rearward of a belt of tamarisks, green amid the hollowed yellows of
shorebanks yet in shade, crumbling to the sands. Weyburn was attracted by
a diminutive white tent, of sentry-box shape, evidently a bather's, quite
as evidently a fair bather's. He would have to walk on some way for his
dip. He remarked to little Collett that ladies going into the water
half-dressed never have more than half a bath. His arms and legs flung
out contempt of that style of bathing, exactly in old Matey's
well-remembered way. Half a mile off shore, the Susan was put about to
flap her sails, and her boat rocked with the passengers. Turning from a
final cheer to friendly Matthew, Weyburn at the rudder espied one of
those unenfranchised ladies in marine uniform issuing through the
tent-slit. She stepped firmly, as into her element. A plain look at her,
and a curious look, and an intent look fixed her fast, and ran the shock
on his heart before he knew of a guess. She waded, she dipped; a head
across the breast of the waters was observed: this one of them could
swim. She was making for sea, a stone's throw off the direction of the
boat. Befor