man put his hand in his pocket.

'I'll give you something for her too,' he said; 'and mind you, Kiah,
there's a worse thing than having those belonging to you in danger, and
that's to have no one belonging to you at all. I'm staying at Plymouth
for a bit, and I shall see you again.'

'Well, I hope you will, sir, and I'm very grateful to you, I'm sure,
and so will she be; and you'll make yourself some friends, I doubt, if
you be short of relations.'

And then, after fumbling in his pockets, he produced a letter, wrapped
up with much care in a sheet of paper.

'May be, sir, you'd like to see the young lady's letter. No, you
needn't read it all at once, for you see it's a long letter and very
beautiful, and you being a scholar you'll understand that, and if
you're coming in to-morrow you'd bring it back to me.'

The stranger promised and put the precious paper in his pocket, and
then strolled away along the cliffs.

He had nowhere particular to go and nothing particular to do, only he
liked to be out here, where the breeze blew salt and fresh in his face,
and where he could see the dancing, plunging waves, and the beautiful
line of coast. He had had plenty of hard work in the last few years,
and had been tired and ill when he started a few months before for the
country which, as he had said to Kiah, must always be home.

And now he found himself wondering whether it were worth while to get
strong again, and to be brave and successful as he had been lately,
when there was no one in all the world to whom his success made any
difference. He had grown more happy and hopeful since he had come to
Plymouth, for in those days, when the safety of England was depending
from hour to hour upon her coast defences, the very life and heart of
England seemed to be stirring and throbbing in the great seaport town.
Even now, in these happier days, when no hostile ships are waiting for
our weak moments in the Channel, we can hardly stand on Plymouth Hoe
and see the stately ships in the port, and the guns ready to thunder
defiance from the citadel, and think of Drake turning cheerily from his
game of bowls to meet the Armada 'For God and Queen Bess,' without
thrilling and glowing at the thought of the little land that rules the
waves. And in those days every one was so eager and patriotic, and so
ready and willing to fight Boney if he came, that our traveller had
caught the enthusiasm too, and was wondering how he could give to hi