rface of the water. The tide, too, had come up a long way
since she had dozed off into slumber, and waves were now breaking only a
few yards distant from her feet.

She cast a hasty glance to right and left, where the arms of the little
cove stretched out to meet the sea, strewn with big boulders clothed in
shell and seaweed. But there were no rocks to be seen. The grey water
was lapping lazily against the surface of the cliff itself and she was
cut off on either side.

For a minute or so her heart beat unpleasantly fast; then, with a quick
sense of relief, she recollected that only at spring tides was the little
bay where she stood entirely under water. There was no danger, she
reflected, but nevertheless her position was decidedly unenviable. It
was not yet high tide, so it would be some hours at least before she
would be able to make her way home, and meanwhile the sun was sinking
fast, it was growing unpleasantly cold, and she was decidedly hungry. In
the course of another hour or two she would probably be hungrier still,
but with no nearer prospect of dinner, while the Rector and Joan would be
consumed with anxiety as to what had become of her.

Anxiously she scanned the sea, hoping she might sight some homing
fishing-boat which she could hail, but no welcome red or brown sail broke
the monotonous grey waste of water, and in hopes of warming herself a
little she began to walk briskly up and down the little beach still
keeping a sharp look-out at sea for any passing boat.

An interminable hour crawled by. The sun dipped a little lower, flinging
long streamers of scarlet and gold across the sea. Far in the blue vault
of the sky a single star twinkled into view, while a little sighing
breeze arose and whispered of coming night.

Diana shivered in her thin blouse. She had brought no coat with her,
and, now that the mist was rising, she felt chilled to the bone, and she
heartily anathematised her carelessness for getting into such a scrape.

And then, all at once, across the water came the welcome sound of a human
voice:--

"Ahoy! Ahoy there!"

A small brown boat and the figure of the man in it, resting on his oars,
showed sharply etched against the background of the sunset sky.

Diana waved her handkerchief wildly and the man waved back, promptly
setting the boat with her nose towards the chore and sculling with long,
rhythmic strokes that speedily lessened the distance between him and the
eager fig