into the cabin.

Soon after Mr. and Mrs. Parkman came on board, Mr. Parkman said to his
wife,--

"Now, Louise, my dear, you will be less likely to be sick if you get
some good place where you can take a reclining posture, and so remain
pretty still until we get over."

"O, I shall not be sick," said she. "I am not at all afraid."

So she began walking about the deck with an unconcerned and careless
air, as if she had been an old sailor.

Pretty soon Mr. George saw two other ladies coming, with their husbands,
over the plank. The countenances of these ladies were very pleasing, and
there was a quiet gentleness in their air and manner which impressed Mr.
George very strongly in their favor.

As soon as they reached the deck, and while their husbands were
attending to the disposal of the luggage, they began to look for seats.

"We will get into the most comfortable position we can," said one of
them, "and keep still till we get nearly across."

"Yes," said the other, "that will be the safest."

So they chose good seats near the companion way, and sat down there, and
their husbands brought them carpet bags to put their feet upon.

In about fifteen minutes after this the steamer put off from the pier,
and commenced her voyage. She very soon began to rise and fall over the
waves, with a short, uneasy motion, which was very disagreeable. The
passengers, however, all remained still in the places which they had
severally chosen,--some reading, others lying quiet with their eyes
closed, as if they were trying to go to sleep.

Mr. Parkman himself tried to do this, but his wife would not leave him
in peace. She came to him continually to inquire about this or that, or
to ask him to look at some vessel that was coming in sight, or at some
view on the shore. All this time the wind, and the consequent motion of
the steamer, increased. Scudding clouds were seen flitting across the
sky, from which there descended now and then misty showers of rain.
These clouds gradually became more frequent and more dense, until at
length the whole eastern sky was involved in one dense mass of
threatening vapor.

It began to grow dark, too. The specified time for sailing was four
o'clock; but there was a delay for the mails, and it was full half past
four before the steamer had left the pier. And now, before she began to
draw near the French coast, it was nearly half past six. At length the
coast began slowly to appear. Its outline was d