full
of flowers that should intertwine themselves with their dear Ellen's
existence, till others could be gathered to greet her on her arrival.

When the bell sounded, recalling the visitors to the tender that had
brought them, the process of leave-taking went through its acutest
stage; there were the cordial grips and moist eyes, the crisp, resonant
kisses, and the long, silent embraces. "Good-bye; take care of him, take
care of her, till I come back! Good-bye, again!"

Ay! some of us had taken return tickets, some had not. Which of us would
return?

We got sorted at last; all the good clothes on our side; the new suits,
ulsters, and dresses to be bodily introduced into the country that
produces the like only at ruinous prices. We all looked brand new, as
if we were equipped for our respective honeymoons. Soon we were passing
the last outstretched arm of land, that seemed to bid us one more
farewell; but the greeting only came from Cinderella, the Emerald Isle,
and we, I suppose being an English vessel, refused to hug the coast, and
made for the open sea, whence for some time we could see her knowingly
wink her revolving Cyclopean eye at us.

The moon had risen majestically; it could not do otherwise with those
Lyceists on board. We had achieved something like order in our cabins,
and were reappearing above to have a look at one another. Ellen was
leaning over the bulwarks with one of those flowers in her hand, which
by any other name would smell as sweet. She was still gazing shorewards,
as if she would keep on saying Good-bye until to-morrow; a living
picture, long lines of beauty flowing from her shoulders to her feet,
such as natural grace will evolve even from the slender material of a
travelling dress.

But for all that, she must not be imagined as addicted to mooning or
posing; just the reverse, she was the most practical soul on board, ever
active and thoughtful. Before the first twenty-four hours had passed,
all those hothouse grapes the old friends had brought had found their
way to the new friends, the steerage passengers; so, too, what of shawls
and wraps she could lay her hands on. "I have hidden away one or two
warm things," said her maid, "or there would be nothing of the kind left
for her."

For a day or two we had very rough weather, and the attendance at poet's
corner was small; our first night in particular set many of us wishing
that Columbus had minded his own business and not gone out of hi