tched the
beautiful shores from which they were gliding away. Eleanor was glad to
be off. The stay at Sydney had become oppressive to her; she wanted to
be at the end of her journey and know her fate; and hope and reason
whispered that she had reason to be glad. For all that, the poor child
had a great many shrinkings of heart. A vision of Mr. Rhys never came
up in one of its aspects,--that of stern and fastidious
delicacy,--without her heart seeming to die away within her. She could
not talk now. She watched the sunny islands and promontories of the
bay, changing and passing as the vessel slowly moved on; watched the
white houses of Sydney, grateful for the home she had found there,
longing exceedingly for a home once again that should be hers by right;
hope and tremulousness holding her heart together. This was a conflict
that prayer and faith did not quell; she could only come to a state of
humble submissiveness; and she never thought of reaching Vuliva without
a painful thrill that almost took away her breath. But she was glad to
be on the way.

The vessel was very small, not of so much as eighty tons burthen; its
accommodations were of course a good deal as Mr. Esthwaite had said;
and more than that, the condition of the vessel and of its appointments
was such that Mrs. Amos felt as if she could hardly endure to shut
herself up in the cabin. Eleanor resolved immediately that _she_ would
not; the deck was a better plate; and she prevailed to have a mattress
brought there for Mrs. Amos, where the good lady, though miserably ill
as soon as they were upon the ocean roll, yet could be spared the close
air and other horrors of the place below deck. Eleanor wrapped herself
in her sea cloak, and lived as she could on deck with her; having a
fine opportunity to read the stars at night, and using it. The weather
was very fine; the wind favouring and steady; and in the Southern
Ocean, under such conditions, there were some good things to be had,
even on board the "Queen Esther." There were glorious hymn-singings in
the early night-time; and Eleanor had never sung with more power on the
"Diana." There were beautiful Bible discussions between her and Mr.
Amos--Bible contemplations, rather; in which they brought Scripture to
Scripture to illustrate their point; until Mr. Amos declared he thought
it would be a grand way of holding a Bible-class; and poor Mrs. Amos
listened, delighted, though too sick to put in more than a word no