I love her and father and Jacob and the rest so much,"
said May. "I have no other mother."

"Is your mother's name Halliburt?"

"Yes."

"I cannot understand what you mean, my dear; I must ask Mistress
Halliburt to explain to me," said Miss Mary.

"Ah, yes, do; she will tell you. But I remember that father found me on
board the big ship, and brought me home in the boat, and mother took
care of me, and Jacob used to walk with me every day till I was old
enough to go out with mother."

"But who is Jacob?" asked Miss Mary.

"He is brother Jacob, and he is so kind, and he tries to teach me to
read; but he does not know much about it himself, and I can now read as
fast as he can."

"Does your mother not teach you?" asked Miss Mary.

"Not much, she has no time; but father on Sunday tells me stories from
the Bible. He can read very well, though he sometimes stops to spell
the words, just as I do. There is only the Bible and one book we have
got at home."

"Would you like, my little girl, to come up here and learn to read? My
sister will teach you, and I think I can help, though I cannot see what
is printed in a book."

"Oh, yes, so much, if mother will let me," answered May. "I am sure I
should remember all you tell me, and then I might teach Jacob to read
better than he does now. Ah, here comes my mother."

"You can go round the garden and look at the flowers while I talk to
her."

"Thank you, Miss Mary; I so love flowers. We have none near our
cottage, for they would not grow on the sand," and May ran off, stopping
like a gay butterfly, now before one flower, now before another, to
admire its beauty and enjoy its fragrance.

"If you can spare a few moments, Mistress Halliburt, I should like to
learn from you more than I can understand from the account your little
girl has been giving me of herself," said Miss Mary, as the dame
approached her. "She has been talking about a wreck and being brought
on shore by your husband. Is she not really your child?"

"We love her as much as if she was, but she has been telling you the
truth, Miss Mary," answered the dame. "We have been unable to gain any
tidings of her friends, though we have done all we could to inquire for
them, and though we are loth for her sake to bring her up as a
fisherman's child, we would not part with her unless to those who could
do better for her welfare."

The dame then described how May had been brought from the wreck, and
how,