he sound of a voice. Looking up, she beheld Michael McAravey by
her side.

"Well, Elsie, lass, what's all this? There 's that wee fool Jim crying
himself into fits, and raving about dead bodies in the sea-weed.
Blessed mother! so it is a dead body," he added, excitedly, as he
caught sight of the object of Elsie's regard. The old man was only
unnerved for a moment; then turning his back to the sea and putting his
hands to his mouth, he gave a loud "halloa," which echoed across the
silent bay, but brought no other response.

"Now, lass, look sharp and run up the brae, and call some of the men,
or the tide will be in upon us. And we 'll lose the wrack, too, for
the matter of that. Away you go in a moment," he added, sternly, as
the child seemed reluctant to abandon what she held to be her peculiar
charge.

Elsie obeyed, and was fortunate enough, just as she was turning into
the by-road that led to the shore, to run against George Hendrick.

"What has scared you so, Elsie?" he said, kindly, as he stopped the
headlong child; "are you in mischief, and running away from anybody?"

"O Mr. Hendrick, we 've found a drowned lady on the shore, and I 'm
running to tell the people; father's with her."

"Where?" cried the reader, quickly.

"In the sandy cove, where we get the sea-wrack."

"Well, Elsie, you run on to McAuley's, and ask him to bring down some
spirits in case she might be alive still; and lose no time--there's a
good girl."

So saying, Hendrick sprang over the low fence and hurried down the
shore. He soon saw through the dusk a tall figure bending over some
object on the sand. It rose as he approached, and he at once
recognised McAravey. The old man was singularly excited and
flurried--far more so than when he had joined Elsie.

"Thank God some one has come!" he cried; "and you 're the very man I 'd
like to see."

"Is she quite dead?" said Hendrick, kneeling beside the body.

"Aye, dead enough and stiff," answered the old man; "but see, the tide
is almost on us. Let's fetch her up a bit. I did not like to touch
her till some one came."

Between them they lifted the body into a place of safety, and then
McAravey, whose agitation had not diminished, said, with affected
indifference--

"While we are waiting I 'll just drag up a wee lock of that weed; there
is no use letting the tide fetch it away again." So saying, he
proceeded to lift in his arms the heaps that were nearest the sea, and
to pla