entine went to the water's edge.

"'Get a boat with a sail,' whispered the River, lapping the sand at
his feet. This was provided at once, for the gentleman was very
wealthy, and then Valentine set out on his voyage. 'Go back the way
you came,' said the River, 'but keep out of the middle current. Let
the wind fill your sails and carry you near the shore, on the right.'
With the River to direct him, Valentine sailed along with a light
heart and a happy mind. For more than two hours he journeyed up the
River, and it was not until the sun was low in the west that the River
told him to lower the sails of his boat. This done, the River carried
his boat gently ashore, and as it glided on the sand, he saw, near by,
a boat, in which a little boy lay fast asleep. Without disturbing him,
Valentine lifted the little fellow in his arms, and transferred him to
the new boat, in which wraps, and cloaks, and food had been placed.

"It was easy to guess how the little boy had been lost. He had gone
to play in a boat, which broke loose from its fastenings, and drifted
slowly up the River in the eddies that play hide and seek near the
bank. The first day the searchers searched for him, they went too far.
The next day they searched too near, and so the child drifted and
drifted, and was lost sure enough. He was very cold and wet when
Valentine found him, but in a little while he was warmly wrapped in
the cloaks that had been provided.

"'Take his boat in tow,' said the River. 'Let your sails stay down,
and take the oars and row home as hard as you can.'

"The River helped with its swift current, and it was not long before
Valentine caught a glimpse of the bonfire that was burning at the
landing to light him back to the city.

"There was great rejoicing when Valentine returned with the lost
child. The bells were rung and salutes fired from the big cannon that
commanded the approaches to the city. It turned out that the gentleman
whose child Valentine had found was the ruler of the city, and you may
depend upon it he was grateful to the unknown young man.

"But in all large cities there are some envious people, and these
soon had it whispered about that Valentine was a mere adventurer who
had stolen the child and hid it so that he might rescue it again when
a big reward was offered. These whispers grew thicker and thicker
until at last they reached the ears of every one. No one knew
Valentine, and appearances were against him, but one