ar, we shall have tea."

It may be necessary to explain here, that although Amy called Mrs
Foster "mamma," she was in fact not related to her at all, being only an
adopted daughter. Poor Amy Russell was a child of the sea.

Two years previous to the time of which we write, she, with her father
and mother, had been wrecked on the coast of Kent while returning from a
long residence in New Zealand. Their vessel filled the moment she
struck, and the seas buried the hull so completely that passengers and
crew were obliged to take to the rigging. Here they remained all night
exposed to the fury of the storm. Many of the unfortunates, unable to
withstand the exposure of that terrible night, fell or were washed out
of the rigging and perished. Among these were Amy's father and mother.
Amy herself was taken care of by the captain, with whom she was a great
favourite, and, along with those who remained until the morning, was
saved by one of the lifeboats stationed on that coast.

They had a narrow escape from drowning even after being taken into the
boat, for, just as they were approaching the entrance to the harbour,
where crowds of the inhabitants of the town were anxiously watching
them, a tremendous sea completely filled the boat, swept away the
starboard oars, and carried several of the wrecked passengers overboard,
Amy being one of them. This happened close under the head of the pier.
All the passengers were recovered by the lifeboat's crew in a few
seconds, with the exception of Amy, who, being exhausted by previous
exposure, began to sink at once. The boatmen, in the turmoil of raging
water and howling wind, did not observe this, and a cry of consternation
was uttered by the people on the pier, who saw the whole thing clearly
from their elevated position; but the cry was either drowned by the
noise of the tempest, or not understood by the boatmen.

At that moment a tall stripling on the pier raced to the edge of it,
shot like a rocket head-foremost into the sea, and in a second or two
reappeared with the young girl in his arms. They were both dragged into
the lifeboat, amid ringing cheers of delight and admiration.

The stripling who did this brave deed was none other than our friend Guy
Foster, who chanced to be lodging with his mother in the neighbouring
town at that time. Guy insisted on having Amy conveyed to his mother's
place of abode. Mrs Foster soon discovered that the poor orphan had
neither relatio