d in open water: so, as
there was a nice fresh breeze blowing, and sufficient sea on outside to
give him a fair idea of her qualities, we worked out through the channel
as soon as we reached it, and sailed round the island _outside_ of
everything first of all, resuming the original plan as soon as we came
inside again.

Both my father and Winter were much struck with the smooth and easy
motion with which she took the seas, especially when going close-hauled
to windward, the short, choppy head-sea which the breeze had knocked up
having not the slightest perceptible retarding effect upon the sharp,
gently-swelling tubes, which pierced the combing seas absolutely without
any shock whatever; whereas a boat of the usual mould would have pitched
and jerked into them, and half-blinded us and wholly wet us through with
spray. And they were quite as much surprised at her stiffness, for her
amount of heel was barely perceptible, though we were driving her
through it under whole canvas; whilst had we been in the _Water Lily_,
with a proportionate amount of sail set, she would, stiff as she was,
have been lying down gunwale under.

So rapidly did she skim along over the water too, that, notwithstanding
the extra distance traversed beyond that originally proposed, we were in
ample time for the meal--luncheon or dinner, whichever we chose to call
it--which it was arranged we should partake of picnic fashion in the
open air.

I was delighted to observe that both my father and Winter keenly enjoyed
this short cruise outside. It was the first time, excepting when my
father came out to meet us and pilot us in, that either of them had been
outside the reef; and that they were now fairly at sea, and with a
staunch and good sea-boat under their feet, seemed an earnest of their
easy escape almost more convincing than the fact that the vessel in
which that escape was planned to be made was now actually in the water.

Having made the tour of the island both outside and inside the reef, and
admired its many beauties, we at length sat down to our meal in high
spirits, and with appetites which enabled us to do the most ample
justice to Ella's bounteous provision, which, it now appeared, had been
in progress the whole of the previous day, in anticipation of some such
arrangement as that which she had proposed.

I had noticed an unusual flutter in the dear little girl's manner more
than once during the morning, as well as considerable imperf