said Solferino, who was by no means shy; "they look as if they were eating it."

"Perhaps they think it's a pork-pie," said Mr. Thorn, walking on at a quicker pace; but he soon stopped, for he came to a deep poolfull of sea-anemones and little hermit-crabs. He had never seen such before. He put down his hammer and chisel, and, after fastening the coffee-bag to his stick, he used it as a ladle for fishing them out of the water. Thinking that they might be good to eat, he filled one of his coat-tail pockets with them, and then went on again. It was nearly eleven o'clock when he came to the rock.

"I may as well eat the sandwiches now," thought he, "and then I shall have my pockets empty for the fossils, for the coffee-bag will only hold the smaller ones."

"What a mistake!" he exclaimed, as he found he had put the hermit-crabs into the same pocket with the sandwiches. Of course they were not fit to eat, so he threw both them and the hermit-crabs away. Mr. Thorn thought he heard some one laughing; so he jumped up, and looked behind him, when he saw a tall, ugly old woman standing almost close to him. She wore a ragged and very short blue petticoat, a faded red shawl over her shoulders, and a large straw hat tied down over her face; she had a small empty fish-hamper on her back' and a few sticks in her hands.

She seized the sandwiches that Mr. Thorn had thrown away, and ate them without even knocking off the sand which had stuck to them. Mr. Thorn looked at her in utter astonishment. Deborah looked at him for some time, as if she had seen him before; at last she said, with great coolness

How old are you? What brought you here?" Mr. Thorn felt sure she was mad, and, without answering her, he began to climb the rock as quickly as he could.

"I know," shouted the old woman: "you are jast twenty-seven years old; and your name is Pickles. Come down!"

"Who are you?" asked Mr. Thorn, coming down the rock; but not quite so fast as he had gone up.

"I'm Deborah Broom, at your service; but I thought you were drowned !"

"It was my brother who was drowned," said Mr. Thorn: he was younger than me." "Your brother was drowned, was he?" said Deborah. "Who told you so?"

"I don't remember: I was only a little boy at the time."

Mr. Thorn began to climb up the rock again, for he was rather afraid of the old woman, particularly when she rolled her eyes about in a wild way. "Those mad women are not safe," thought he; "she might take a fancy to my hammer, as she did to those sandwichesshe's a sandwitch herself, I think."

But Mr. Thorn wished he had asked her how she got to know his name, and so much about him. He soon, however, forgot all about it;

for he had come to a splendid bed of fossils : among these was a fine ammonite, which he was hammering out of the rock, when the stone on which he was standing gave way, and he would have fallen to the bottom if his chin had not been caught by the edge of a long, thin stone, which projected out of the rock, and if he had not also been able with one hand to catch hold of a stone. Here he had been suspended for about three minutes, with his hair flying about in the wind (for his hat had fallen when the stone gave way), when somone shouted to him

"Hold on a minute longer, and I'll bring a ladder."

It was Mr. Merton, who had by chance come that way, for a walk with his sister-in-law, Miss Rose Mary Magnus. Fortunately Mr. Thorn was near enough to the ground to be able to reach the short ladder, which Mr. Merton had borrowed of Deborah Broom.

"Well, and how do you feel?" said Mr. Merton, when Mr. Thorn had landed in safety; "you made rather a comical figure, hanging by your chin. This is my sister-in-law, Miss Magnus. Miss Magnus was very merry, and good-tempered; she appeared to be about sixand twenty; her hair was very light and wavy, her face was very much freckled, but she was not bad-looking, and had very bright blue eyes. "How d'you do, Mr. Thorn ?" said she.

"I scarcely know," said Mr. Thorn, picking up his hammer, "but I think I shan't fossilize any more to-day."

"What d'you call this?" said Mr. Merton, taking up the coffee-bag.

"Mrs. Lester lent it to me, to put my fossils in," replied Mr. Thorn; "she told me that necessity was the mother of wiseheads. She is very fond of old adages, as she calls them.

Very fond of cold cabbage did you say?" asked Miss Magnus, who was rather deaf. 'But that reminds me that the new gardener came to me very gravely this morning, and wanted to know if the last gardener was insane, as all the cabbages had been planted with their heads in the ground."

Mr. Thorn looked very much astonished. 'They couldn't be growing?" said he.

"No; they were in Magenta's and Solferino's gardens."

Mr. Merton invited Mr. Thorn to dinner. Mrs. Worsel, the cook, was in a great fuss, for she could not get any salmon, when Deborah Broom walked into the kitchen, with her fishbasket on her arm.

"Have you got any fresh salmon ?" said the cook.

Fresh this morning, Mrs. Worsel, the biggest salmon I've seen this year; it weighs twenty-five pounds, but I shall want a good price for it."

"Last time you were here, you said you knew a grand secret; now you shall have a very good price for that salmon if you'll tell it to me." Jane Dilwater is going to be married."

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That's no secret," said the cook, con

temptuously; "it was something about Mr. | Pickles, you said."

"I know nothing about Mr. Pickles." "But you do," said the cook; so you needn't pretend to be so ignorant. Just tell us, now."

"If y f you boil bare bones, how much do you get from them?" said Deborah, tying her shawl round her head, and preparing to go.

"As much sauce as I get from you," said the cook, angrily. "You can take your salmon back, for I won't have it."

"Very well," said Deborah; "I shall get plenty of customers for it, I dare say. Goodday, Mrs. Worsel."

"Stop a minute," said the cook, for she did not think that Deborah would take her at her word. "I'll give you fifteen pence a pound for it, and that's a good price at this time of year."

"I thought you'd come round," muttered Deborah. "Have you got company to dinner to-day?" said she.

"Yes; Mr. Thorn.

Capital!" said Hector; we were thinking of a pic-nic to Cockleby, and it would be a great deal nicer if you asked them."

"You mustn't talk in that way when he's here, Hector," said Mr. Merton, or else you'll have to cut before you deal."

"A deal I should care," replied Hector. "Is he that ugly man we met this morning, with a scar on his cheek?" asked Miss Magnus. "The same," said Mrs. Merton; "that scar was caused by a wild cat flying at him, when he was near Delhi; but he never likes it mentioning."

"I suppose it's a delicate subject," said Hector, who was an inveterate punster. When dinner was over, they all went into the garden-Magenta and Solferino too.

"Oh dear!" said Miss Magnus, as they were admiring a bunch of scarlet sweetwilliams, "I've lost a little cornelian heart off my bracelet."

Mr. Thorn immediately stooped down to look for it, and in so doing he nettled his hands, for the garden was full of all kinds of weeds.

"What's the matter?" said Mrs. Merton. "Only Aunt Mag. has lost her heart among the sweetwilliams," said Solferino, sticking his hands into his pockets.

Miss Magnus went very red, and felt very much inclined to pinch him.

"I've nettled myself," said Mr. Thorn, rubbing his fingers.

"Rub it with dock" said Magenta. "That's the best doctor for nettles."

"I've found it at last!" exclaimed Mr. Thorn, holding up the cornelian heart.

"Thank you," said Miss Magnus, "I am exceedingly obliged to you."

Mr. Thorn spent so pleasant an evening at the Mertons', that he had no idea how the time was going; and he kept Mrs. Lester up till nearly twelve o'clock, waiting for him; and very cross she was.

СНАР. ІІ.

"May we have a donkey-ride with Aunt Mag., mamma?" asked Magenta, next morning. "Have you eaten any green apricots lately?" "No," said Magenta.

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"Very well; then, you may."

Magenta put on her hat, and ran into the garden to find Miss Magnus; but before she had crossed the onion-bed, Toinkins, the new gardener, stopped her.

"Hallo! Miss Treacle," said he, sticking his spade into the earth; "is it you, or Master Brimstone, that has put all these cockleshells on the top of my wegitable marrers? it really is past everything. I wish your ma would give you a good blowing up."

Tomkins was very much given to grumbling, and he was in a particularly bad temper this morning, because Solferino had planted a row of nettles on the top of the late-sown peas, because he said Miss Magnus had never tasted nettleporridge, and he wished her to have some. Magenta did not like Tomkins at all; for, besides being always grumbling, he had dug up her garden one night after she had gone to bed, and, though he said it was a mistake, he did not give her the chance of having another.

"Let me pass, Tomkins," said Magenta; "I'm in a hurry!"

And, before Tomkins could stop her, she had got over the hedge and into the flower-garden, at the upper end of which there was a summerhouse, with a door at the back opening into a little plantation. Miss Magnus was sitting in this summer-house, crocheting an orange-andblack purse, when Magenta ran to her. Mag.," said she, "mamma says we may have a donkey-ride this morning: come, go!"

"Aunt

Miss Magnus yielded very willingly. On their way to the sands they met Mr. Thorn, who offered to hire the donkeys, and get one for himself at the same time. Miss Magnus's donkey was very lively; Mr. Thorn's would scarcely go on at all. He patted it, beat it, shouted at it; but it was all unavailing; the donkey would not move a step.

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Will you come into the garden, Major?" said Mrs. Merton. "I wish you would tell us what is the matter with our melons: we can't get them to grow at all."

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What a melancholy fact!" said the Major, putting a nut-leaf into his mouth. He was very fond of chewing nut-leaves.

"Will you come into the garden too, Miss Deal?" said Hector. "It's a wretched place; though Tomkins has made the weeds look rather scarcer since he came."

“Thank you,” said Miss Deal. "I wish we had a garden; for we're obliged to buy all our flowers."

When they were in the garden Hector gathered Miss Deal some roses, to the intense vexation of Tomkins, who watched him all the time as if he had been stealing.

Magenta and Solferino had followed Mrs. Merton into the garden.

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"How dreadfully savage your gardener looks!" said Miss Deal.

"He's

"Yes, and he is too," said Magenta. the crossest man I ever saw in all my life!" On returning to the hayfield, Where can Mr. Thorn be?" said Mrs. Merton: "I thought he was in the field."

Magenta and Solferino looked at each other; the haymakers had made a pike on the top of the hay in which they had buried him.

"Mamma," said Solferino, "I believe he's under that pike!"

"What in the world do you mean?" said Mrs. Merton.

"He went to sleep," said Magenta, " and we covered him over with hay, and they have made a pike on the top of him!"

"You naughty, tiresome children!" said Mrs. Merton: "what have you done?"

"Will he be killed, mamma?" asked Solferino, twisting the buttons off his coat.

Hector went to the haymakers to ask if they had seen Mr. Thorn, and if it was possible that he was really buried under the pike.

"I've never seen him since you left the field," said one of the men; "and certainly, as I said to Dick, there did seem to be a great lump in it! But he said as how it was only the children as had been playing with it; so we didn't look." "The pike must come down directly," said Hector; 66 though I can't think it possible that he is there."

The men began to throw aside the hay; Magenta and Solferino, with very white faces, standing at a little distance, holding each other's hands. Major Deal was telling Mrs. Merton that, if Mr. Thorn was under the hay, he would most certainly be smothered! And Hector was helping to knock the pike to pieces.

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They've nearly got to the bottom," said the Major to Mrs. Merton: "you'd better shut your eyes: it might be too much for you! Shall I go and fetch your smelling-bottle?'

"There is a strange lump!" said one of the men. I scarce like to go on, sir!"

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"Did you ever see a man the shape of a rolled

pudding?" said Hector, taking up the lump in his arms, and shaking it.

It was nothing but hay, that had been twisted round and round until it had become quite hard.

"O dear! what a relief!" said Mrs. Merton, opening her eyes.

"It is indeed a great thing to be thankful for," said the Major, who had seen Mr. Thorn in the summer-house with Miss Magnus as they came out of the garden, and therefore knew all about it.

"Then, I wonder where he is," said Mrs. Merton.

"Perhaps eating strawberries," said Magenta and Solferino, running off in search of him, and soon dragging Mr. Thorn out of the summerhouse.

"Now we really must go," said the major; and my daughter will come to you about six o'clock on Wednesday. Good morning."

Towards night a sea-fog came on, and it became very gloomy. Mr. Merton was detained much longer than he expected, and it was nearly nine o'clock before he left Merrydale. It would be high water at eleven.

"I shall have plenty of time to get home in an hour," thought Mr. Merton; for he was a very good walker. So he set off at a pretty good pace, and had nearly got half way home when he met Deborah Broom.

"It's a very dark night, sir," said Deborah; “but I'm glad I've met you, as I want to talk to you."

"Well," said Mr. Merton, "be quick, then; for I'm late as it is."

"Do you remember Mr. Samuel Pickles's two sons being shipwrecked, about twenty years since, and people said one of them was drowned?"

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it?"

I remember something about it, what then?"
It was the youngest that was saved, wasn't

"No, the eldest; because I was at school with him; and he is at my house at present, I believe."

"Yes," said Deborah, "and the youngest is alive, too: unless he's dead."

"Why do you detain me with such stuff as that?" said Mr. Merton. "Good night."

"I might have known there was no good talking to him," thought Deborah; "but I will speak to this Pickles, or Thorn, myself."

It had grown much darker; and Mr. Merton had just come to the worst part of his walk. Until now he had been walking on the sands; but immediately after parting with Deborah Broom, he was obliged to walk over rough slippery stones. He had intended going round by the edge of these, where there was a strip of sand; but the tide had increased so rapidly that many even of the stones were under water. Mr. Merton walked as fast as he could; but it was becoming so dark that sometimes he could scarcely distinguish the stones from the pools; and more than once found himself half way up

to his knees in salt-water. If it had not been, for the good stout stick which he had brought with him, he would scarcely have been able to get on at all. Fortunately the sea was very calm, but the tide was now rapidly coming in; yet he dare not go any nearer to the cliff, for large loose stones were continually rolling down from the top. The wind now suddenly rose, blowing in his face. The first gust took him so completely by surprise, that he nearly lost his balance and slipped from the stone on which he was standing. The next moment his hat was blown away, and, in stretching out his hands to catch it, he stepped upon some slippery seaweed, and fell. With a good deal of difficulty he got upon his feet again. He had still a large projecting rock to pass, and then his way was easy. But he began to despair of being able to pass it. He looked at the cliff; but it was impossible to reach the top without a ladder-and, even then, it was dangerous. The rock was now more than three feet deep in the sea, as he judged. He looked towards the sea, if by chance there might be a boat; but there was none; and, even if there had been, he could neither have been heard nor seen.

"Well, I must try to climb the cliff," thought he. But no sooner had he reached the base, than a large stone rolled from the top, and, hitting him on the shoulder, knocked him down.

Just at this moment there was a loud "Halloo!" which seemed to come from the top of the cliff, which he had been endeavouring to climb.

"Halloo!" shouted Mr. Merton. " 'Help me, I'm fast in the rocks."

The next moment a rope-ladder was carefully lowered over the cliff.

"Quick, or I shall be drowned," groaned Mr. Merton. "Is it you, Hector ?" "Yes," replied Hector, who was now slowly descending the ladder, while Parsley held a lantern at the top.

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"Where are you, Richard?" said Hector, as he got to the bottom. There, take hold of my hand, for it is very slippery. Have you got hold of the rope? Mind the loose stones."

Hector held the rope firmly at the bottom; while Mr. Merton slowly ascended the ladder. The waves were now washing against the rock. "Don't go too fast," said Hector: "there's plenty of time."

Mr. Merton got to the top; and now Hector

In the meantime Mrs. Merton, Miss Magnus, and Mr. Thorn were in the drawing-room. It was growing very dark. Miss Magnus sat on the sofa, her hair ornamented with bits of hay; for they had been in the hayfield again after dinner. Mrs. Merton was near the window, looking out, though it was too dark to see anything. Mr. Thorn was sitting by the table, turning over a book of pictures, and thinking "Beauty and the beast" was a large rock, with a cow underneath. The clock struck ten.

"He ought to have been here an hour ago," exclaimed Mrs. Merton, starting up; "I really must go and look for him."

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My dear, you must not think of such a thing," said Miss Magnus. "Hector could not possibly have brought him back by this time." "Shall I go?" said Mr. Thorn, hoping that she would say no.

"Thank you," said Mrs. Merton, "I should be obliged if you would."

Mrs. Merton and her sister sat still for another quarter of an-hour, without speaking, when some one tapped at the window; and Mr. Thorn's voice was heard, saying, "I can't find my way out of the garden."

"I'll get the lantern," said Miss Magnus, jumping up.

There was a small lantern hanging in the hall; she reached it down, lighted it, and, putting her hat on wrong way first, ran out into the garden.

"Mr. Thorn," said she, "where are you?" "I'm here," replied he. "I'm very sorry to give you so much trouble, but really, I could not find my way out of the garden.”

"Oh, it's no trouble: that's the gate. You'll come back with them."

"Richard is so careless about the tides," said Mrs. Merton, nervously, as Miss Magnus came back, "and he said he would be sure to be back by nine."

They waited nearly another half-hour, when Mrs. Merton exclaimed, "They're coming! I heard the gate," and rushed out into the garden. Miss Magnus followed her.

When the gentlemen had related their adventure, "We were only just in time," said Hector.