Sisters

use she was a poor, pretty, homeless little girl, who had to earn her living as a nondescript lady-help in hard situations, and ne

g child to the nearest parson, and made her a pensioner on his small wages in a tiny lodging of her own. They honeymooned for a fortnight, off and on, as h

. He was first mate now, with a master's certificate and a raised salary; it was time to make a home. So while she nursed the baby in Sandridge-with the aid of a devoted friend, the landlady's cousin-Guthrie Carey busied himself across the way at

ses. Mrs Hardacre, in her best gown, spread a festive supper-table, and Bill, her spouse, stood by w

er had come to Sandridge to see her off, and had brought her a present of a macintos

second Mrs Harrison was a big woman. "You might go through a deluge in it. And so stylish, my d

w," said Guthrie uneasily. "I don

this, Guthrie. I can't get wet-in this nice waterproof. I do

t b

d in your 'possum rug. We can take him inside

s sea?" h

e bay the interest of years of travel on land. There was nothing like blue water to this sailor's wife, whose heart had be

id Guthrie; "co

er away from these people

acintosh was agai

won't put it on just yet, as it

ash to match, in which she looked like a school-girl on breaking-up day. She had a fancy to go to her ho

ly landlady, offering the wisely-selected substitut

r seen a lovelier picture than his darling's face in that soft frame. She was ready now-as ready as she meant to be un

arry hi

ndlady's cousin, a strapping young woman, whose arms we

ing her on either side. Guthrie and

setting apart of a Government vessel solely and entirely to convey her to her new abode, as if she were a little queen going to her husband's kingdom. She could

called from the pier. "Oh, everything-everyth

my dear; and I'd advise you to sit under cover, both of you. You'll be drench

enough to keep us lively. All aboard, Mr Ca

t having everything on board-all his life and happiness, or something to that effect-at which they laughed and ch

he little family safe home. Husband and wife had frowned at the suggestion of having her with them on the launch, but when they had shut he

hen his wife reappeared, clinging to t

nt situation too poetical for words. No bride who had married money, and was setting out by P. & O. upon her luxurious European tour, could have been more keenly sensible of the romance of foreign travel than she, crossing Hobson's Bay in a borrowed Customs launch; while the squall

it here, if you prefer it, sweetheart"-on the stern grating-"only mind you don't catch cold

hard to find and fasten, he pulled the two fronts of the garment one over the other across her lap, and she sat upon the outer one. Then he readjusted the white fascinator, winding the fluffy ends round her neck, and finally encircling all with his stalwart ar

hrie heard it through all the clamour of the gale-for it really was a gale-and

ed,

murmured

t, t

py-PERFEC

careless how he tempte

and wife, when a wave, driven by the wind, flung a shower of spray at the

e urged, as he wiped her cheek. "

I'm so glad it's rough. I can't take any harm,

t he had to use both arms, whereby a lurch of the boat nearly unseated him. "Never," he declared, in an intense w

n the same kind of tone

for either to hold to, and drawing out from the shelter of the pier, and meeting the f

marked Guthrie, with a laugh. "I

with fine scorn. "I am

a time, and for not much more than this, either. Howeve

aunch was tossed high in the air, and the lights of Williamstown st

one of those lights; Mrs Hardacre said she was going to keep the bl

xt time," said the girl, with a voice like a

all mistake the co

occupied, and so he did not perceive the enemy of love making the spring to seize him. Just as he was folding his mate to his breast, he heard the warning cry for'ard, and it was then too late to avert the catastrophe. In the same inst

s is too

n! How cold the water felt when he thought of her tender skin. And her pretty dress, that she had set such store by, in which she had intended to go to church with him on Sunday-utterly destroyed, of course! Well, he must make shift to afford her another and smarter one, and get it made quickly. She should have her pick and choice. As the following wave soused his uprising head, slapping him full in the face

nch seemed to want to dance over him, but when he rose on a swirl of water to take his bearings after the first bewilderment, she was a couple of lengths away, cutting the most extraordinary capers in her efforts to put about. Her own lights, and those of the beacons at the river mouth, showed him all her stern grating and bright deck fittings as she heeled over, hanging to the side of one of those ridiculous ocean rollers out of bounds; and he thought it no wonder that he-even he-had been tossed off under the circumstances. The crew, who were not sitting on a skimming dish, as it were, had their work cut out to hold on. As he looked, he measu

urse was entirely occupied in her rescue-and saw two white buoys floating, and saw a line thrown, but nothing else, except the wild water that buffeted him, and the moonless night overhead.

, in a fury of terro

see her dear little head hanging forward and downward, just under the surface, out of which a larger or smaller speck of her white fascinator rose and gleamed as each roll swung her up into the light of the boat's lamp turned upon the spot. This told him that she was already helpless and unconscious, although ten seconds had not elapsed since she went over. God send that she had not struck anything-that her heart was not weak-that she was not subject to any of the mysterious consequences of shock peculiar to the more than ordinarily complex women! At any rate, she had not had time to drown. He had seen a man recovered after being under for forty minutes, and in less than one they would be taking her full speed to Williamstown, signalling for the d

d pulled it eagerly-alas! too eagerly. He felt the tug of Lily's weight only just long enough to be sure that she was there, and then-the fastenings

ttle delicate thing, already overcome, and precious time was wasting, when every second was of the most stupendous consequence. With a frenzied gesture, Guthrie shook off the cloak, spluttered, spat, and made a dive to intercept h

only I could get rid of these damned laced boots!" Bad wor

gh, and groan, and pump breath enough to take him down again. It would have cost f

r?" he

ll catch her when she rises. Take a turn o' the

were few enough for the safety of the launch as she was then situated; and besides, Hardacre could be more useful to Lily above water than below. The neighbouring ships lay undisturbed,

ed bursting-an agonising sensation-as his overstrained lungs collapsed, and the power of his strong limbs failed him; then everything seemed to break away and let in the floods of Lethe with a rush-confusion and forgetfulness and a whirl of dreams, settling to a strange peace, an irresistible sleep, as if he had swallowed a magic opiate. The sea took him, as a

Another launch put out from Williamstown, and a police boat from Sandridge, and the anchored ships awoke and hailed them. Soon half-a-dozen boats were tossing about the spot; they tossed for two ho

the now lessening storm, with a bundle in tarpaulin beside them, "it do seem as

ed now. I thinks to myself at the time, thinks I, 'That's an unlucky thing to say.'" But who is to judge luck i