cted by her to her own room, where she obtained dry clothing. As
for the others, they dried themselves by the kitchen fire, which was
stirred up vigorously by the now restored and repentant Laker, who also
busied herself in spreading a repast for the shipwrecked men. Mrs
Foster did the same for a select few, whom she meant to entertain in the
parlour.

"Who is that handsome sailor," said Amy, as she assisted Lucy Burton to
dress, "the one, I mean, who came up with Guy?"

"There were four who came up with Guy," replied Lucy, smiling.

"True," said Amy, blushing (she blushed easily), "but I mean the very
tall, dark man, with the black curling hair."

"Ah! you mean the man who carried good Mrs Laker downstairs in a
bundle," said Lucy, with a merry laugh.

"Yes," cried Amy, echoing the laugh, "who is he?"

"Why, you ought to know him," said Lucy, with a look of surprise, "he
resides near you; at least he was one of the boatmen of your own coast,
before he became captain of the `Nancy'. His name is Bax."

"Bax!" echoed Amy. "Is _he_ Bax? Oh, I know Bax well by name. He is a
friend of Guy, and a celebrated man on this coast. He is sometimes
called the Stormy Petrel, because he is always sure to be found on the
beach in the wildest gales; sometimes he is called the Life Preserver,
on account of the many lives he has saved. Strange," said Amy musingly,
"that I should have pictured him to myself so like what he turns out to
be. He is my _beau-ideal_ of a hero!"

"He _is_ a hero," said Lucy, with such sudden enthusiasm that her new
friend looked up in her face in surprise. "You do not know," continued
Lucy, in some confusion, "that he saved my life not much more than
twenty-four hours ago."

Amy expressed deep interest in this matter, and begged to hear all about
it. Lucy, nothing loath, related the event circumstantially; and Amy,
gazing earnestly in her beautiful animated countenance, sighed and
regarded her with an expression of sad interest,--also with feelings
which she herself could not understand.

"But how comes it that you have never seen Bax till to-night?" inquired
Lucy, when she had finished her narrative.

"Because I have not been very long here," said Amy, "and Bax had ceased
to dwell regularly on the coast about the time I was saved, and came to
live with Mrs Foster."

"Saved!--Mrs Foster!" exclaimed Lucy.

"Yes, Mrs Foster is not my mother."

"And Guy is not your brother?" said Lucy, wi