hat day, the appearance
of a ship caused as much excitement as the arrival of a train on a new
railroad in a western village does to-day. Many people were hastening
down to the beach where the boat would bring in passengers. Some were
expecting friends. Others had letters from loved ones across the sea;
but Cora had no such excuse. It was simply girlish curiosity which
induced her to go with the crowd to the beach.

Boats had been lowered from the vessel, which, having no deck, could not
get into shore and was forced to cast anchor some distance off. The
boats, filled with passengers, were rowed ashore.

Cora stood with a careless, idle air gazing on the gentlemen and ladies
as they disembarked. None specially excited her interest. Many were
there greeting relatives and friends; but she had no friend or relative,
and what were all those people to her?

She was about to turn away, when a face and pair of dark-blue eyes
attracted her attention. She involuntarily started and stared impudently
at the stranger, her heart beating, and her breath coming in short quick
gasps.

"That face--that face! I have seen in my dreams!" she thought.

It was the pale face of a woman, still beautiful, although her features
showed lines of suffering and anxiety. She was dressed in black from
head to foot, and a veil of jet black was wound round her head. For a
few moments, she stood looking about and then came directly to Cora and
asked:

"Young maid, do you live in this town?"

"I do, for the present," Cora answered, though she instinctively
trembled, for that voice, too, sounded like a long-forgotten dream. What
strange spell was this which possessed her? The woman asked:

"Can you direct me to a house of public entertainment?"

"Come with me."

Cora knew that the lady had suffered with seasickness, and was anxious
to reach land. She hastened with her to a public house kept by a widow
Stevens, whose husband was a distant relative of Charles. As they walked
up the hill toward the house, the woman continued to ply Cora with
questions:

"Are you a native of America?" she asked.

"No."

"England is your birth-place?"

"It is."

"Have you been long here?"

"I was quite a child when I came," she answered.

"Have you lived a long while in this town?"

"Only a few months," she answered.

They had nearly reached their destination, when Cora saw her father
coming toward them. At sight of his daughter's companion, the face o