, it took flight again and vanished in the darkness.

Perhaps the strong elasticity of youth and hope in Lucia's nature had
only waited for some chance touch to set it free, and make it spring up
vigorously after its repression. At any rate she found a fanciful omen
in the visit of the snow-white bird; and began to believe that in the
new country and the new life, there might be as much that was good and
happy as in the old one. The last hours, full of excitement and
impatience as the voyage drew to a close, were not unpleasant ones. Very
early one morning a great commotion and a babel of unusual sounds on
deck awoke the travellers, and the stewardess going from room to room
brought the welcome news,

"We are at Havre."

Lucia was up in a moment. The stillness of the vessel, after its
perpetual motion, gave her an odd sensation, not unlike what she had
felt when it first began to move; but she was quickly dressed and on
deck. There were a good many people there, and the water all round was
alive with boats and shipping of every description, but Lucia's eyes
naturally turned from the more familiar objects to the unfamiliar and
welcome sight of land.

A strange land, truly! The solid quays, the masses of building, older
than anything (except forest-trees) which she had ever seen, the quaint
dresses of the peasants already moving about in the early morning, all
struck her with pleased and vivid interest. For the wider features of
the scene she had at first no thought. Nature is everywhere the same,
through all her changes. To those who love her she is never wholly
unrecognizable, and when we meet her in company with new phases of human
life, we are apt to treat her as the older friend, and let her wait
until we have greeted the stranger. At least, Lucia did so. She had
indeed only time for a hurried survey, for their packing had to be
completed by her hands; and she knew that the arrival of the ship would
soon be known, and that if Mr. Wynter had kept his promise of meeting
them, he might appear at any moment. She went down, therefore, and found
Mrs. Costello dressing with hurried and trembling fingers, too much
agitated by the prospect of meeting her cousin, after so long and
strange a separation, to be capable of attending to anything.

All was done, however, before they were interrupted. They wrapped
themselves up warmly, for the morning was intensely cold through all its
brightness, and went up on deck together. L