imagine how his uncle would set about clearing up his character
and establishing his innocence; but, do what he would, Ruby could not
keep his mind fixed for any length of time on any subject or line of
thought, because of a vision of sweetness which it is useless to attempt
to describe, and which was always accompanied by, and surrounded with, a
golden halo.

At last the youth gave up the attempt to fix his thoughts, and allowed
them to wander as they chose, seeing that they were resolved to do so
whether he would or no. The moment these thoughts had the reins flung
on their necks, and were allowed to go where they pleased, they refused,
owing to some unaccountable species of perversity, to wander at all, but
at once settled themselves comfortably down beside the vision with
golden hair, and remained there.

This agreeable state of things was rudely broken in upon by the hoarse
voice of the mate shouting--

"Stand by to let go the anchor."

Then Ruby sprang on the deck and shook himself like a great mastiff, and
resolved to devote himself, heart and soul, from that moment, to the
work in which he was about to engage.

The scene that presented itself to our hero when he woke up from his
dreams would have interested and excited a much less enthusiastic
temperament than his.

The breeze had died away altogether, just as if, having wafted the
_Smeaton_ to her anchorage, there were no further occasion for its
services. The sea was therefore quite calm, and as there had only been
light westerly winds for some time past, there was little or none of the
swell that usually undulates the sea. One result of this was, that,
being high water when the _Smeaton_ arrived, there was no sign whatever
of the presence of the famous Bell Rock. It lay sleeping nearly two
fathoms below the sea, like a grim giant in repose, and not a ripple was
there to tell of the presence of the mariner's enemy.

The sun was rising, and its slanting beams fell on the hulls of the
vessels engaged in the service, which lay at anchor at a short distance
from each other. These vessels, as we have said, were four in number,
including the _Smeaton_. The others were the _Sir Joseph Banks_, a
small schooner-rigged vessel; the _Patriot_, a little sloop; and the
_Pharos_ lightship, a large clumsy-looking Dutch-built ship, fitted with
three masts, at the top of which were the lanterns. It was intended
that this vessel should do duty as a lightship until