"If you would come down this way, there is a charming secluded cove, where we should be free from interruption."
"How deliciously romantic! Quite stunning!" cried Vera, as her cavalier conducted her down a steep path along the side of the cliff to the stony beach, where a few red rocks had been manipulated into a tiny harbour, with a boathouse for the little skiff in which Captain Henderson was wont to go round to the marble works on the other side of the headland. The boat looked very inviting as it lay swinging gently in the sluggish waves in the advancing shade of the tall cliff; and Vera exclaimed with delight as she was a.s.sisted into it, and placed herself comfortably on the cushion, with one hand dabbling in the cool translucent wave. Hubert Delrio opened his ma.n.u.script and began to read his ballad, if so it was to be called, being the history of the little boy of four years old, who, being taken with his mother before the tribunal at Tarsus, was lifted on the propraetor"s knee, but struggled, crying out, "I am a Christian!"
till the propraetor, in a rage, hurled him down. His skull was fractured on the marble pavement, and his mother gave thanks for his soul"s safety, when she too was sentenced to be beheaded. Great pains had been taken with the n.o.ble-minded tale; and the verses had considerable merit, more, perhaps, than Vera could appreciate. But to read such a production of his own, in such surroundings, to the auditor whom youthful fancy most preferred, was such luxury to both that it was no wonder that under the broad shady hat with the lily wreath she was nodding in the gentle breeze, the lapping of the waves, and the soft cadence of the poetry, till at an effective pa.s.sage on the mother"s death, the poet looked up, expecting to receive a responsive glance from those blue eyes.
Not only were they hidden, but the cliff was farther off. The mooring rope and the stake were dragging behind in the water. The tide had turned, and the boat was already out of reach of the rock where it had been drawn up. His exclamation of dismay awoke Vera, who would have started up with a little shriek, but for his, "Don"t!
Don"t! I"ll row back."
But he was a landsman, whose only knowledge of the water was in an occasional bathe, or in a river steamer; and his first attempt at placing the oars in the rowlocks resulted in one falling overboard, while he helplessly grasped the other; and Vera screamed again.
"Don"t be frightened, my dear! Dearest, don"t! We must be seen.
Some one will come out and help us."
"Can"t you get on with one oar? They do in pictures."
"Punting? Yes, but there must be a bottom. No, don"t move, whatever you do. There can"t be any danger. Fishermen must be about. Or we shall be seen from the cliffs."
"They are getting farther off! Can"t you shout?"
Hubert shouted, and Vera added her shriller cries; but all in vain, and the outgoing tide was carrying them, not towards the quay and marble rocks, but farther to sea. The waves grew rougher and had crests of foam, and discomfort began. Once the feather of a steamer was seen on the horizon. They waved handkerchiefs and redoubled their shouts, and Hubert had to hold his companion to prevent her from leaping up; but they never were within the vessel"s ken, and she went on her way, while the sea bore them farther and farther.
The sh.o.r.e was growing dim and indistinct, the sun was sinking, and the cloud, that had at first shown only a golden border, was lifting tall perpendicular ma.s.ses, while the tossing of the little boat became more and more distressing. Anxiety and sense of responsibility kept Hubert from feeling physical discomfort; but Vera began to cry, and to declare that it would be the death of her if she were not landed immediately.
"If it were only possible!" sighed Delrio.
"There must be some way! You are so stupid! Oh! There was a flash of lightning."
"Summer lightning."
"No such thing! There will be a storm, and we shall be drowned. Oh, I wish I had never listened to your nonsense, and got into this horrible boat." She was in a state for scolding, and scold she did, as the clouds rose higher, and sheets of lightning more decided.
"How could you? You, who know nothing about boats, and going on, on, with those horrid tiresome verses--not minding anything--I wish I had never come near you!"
Vainly the poor young fellow tried to get in a word of consolation; it only made her scold the more, till there was no question that the storm was raging overhead; the hail rattled and splashed, the waves raised them to a height, then subsided into endless depths; the thunder pealed, and she clung to Hubert, too frightened for screaming. His fear was that the c.o.c.klesh.e.l.l of a boat should fill and founder; he tried to bale out the water with his hat, and to make her a.s.sist, but she seemed incapable, and he could only devise laying her down in the bottom of the boat with his coat over her, hiding her face in terror. Her hat had long ago been blown away, and her hair was flapping about. e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns were in his heart, if not on his lips, and once or twice she cried out something like, "Save me!" but in general it was, "We are sinking! Hold me! We are going! Paula!
Nag!" clutching at his legs, so as to hamper him in the baling out the water.
The hail pa.s.sed, but there was a solid sheet of rain descending on them, undistinguishable from the foam that rushed over them as they went down, down, down. Vera was silenced; and Hubert, drenched and nearly beaten out of life, almost welcomed every downward plunge as the last, tried to commend his spirit, and was amazed to find his little boat lifted up again, and the black darkness not so absolute.
CHAPTER XII--"THE KITTIWAKE"
"Good luck to your fishing! Whom watch ye to-night?
A man of mean, or a man of might?"--SCOTT.
Something black was before the tossed boat! Yes, and light, not lightning. A human voice seemed to be on the blast. Hubert Delrio essayed to shout, but his voice was gone, or was blown away. He understood that a vessel must be above him. Would it finish all by running him down? He perceived that he was bidden to catch something. A rope! His benumbed hands and the heaving of the boat made him fail once, twice, and he was being swept away as at last he did grasp a rope, and was drawn, as it ground his hands, close to the dark wall that rose above, with lights visible.
"Cheer up! cheer up!" he cried to Vera. "Thank G.o.d, we are saved!"
Response from her there was none; but he could hear the yell of inquiry from ahead, and answered, "Here! Two! A woman!"
A second rope was lowered. "Lash her to it." But as it was evident that Delrio could do nothing but hold on, and that his companion was helpless, a sailor descended from no great elevation, and, in another moment, the senseless girl was hoisted up and received on deck; and, with some a.s.sistance, Hubert was also on board, thinking of nothing but the breathless question, "Is she safe?"
"Oh, yes! She will soon come round! Here! They will see to her."
As she was carried away, and Hubert had a perception that she was received by female hands, but he was utterly exhausted, and unable to see or speak, till some stimulant had been poured down his throat, and even then he could hardly ask, "Is she safe?
"Yes, yes! All right! Reviving fast! Here! Take some more! Bed is ready! Get rid of those clothes!" It was an elderly, grey-haired man who spoke, and Hubert was in no condition to resist, as the yacht was pitching considerably, though after the boat the motion was almost rest. He instinctively shook his head at the gla.s.s, but swallowed what was forced upon him, and managed to say, "Thanks-- sitting in boat--drifted off--Rock Quay."
"All right! Never mind. Take him down. My berth, Ivy--Jephson.
Tuck him in. Don"t let him speak! Never mind, my lad! We will hear all about it to-morrow!"
Meantime, Vera, though reviving, was conscious of very little, save a soft pillow, tender hands, and warm drink that choked her; and then she fell asleep, though still she was aware of a strange tossing going on all night, and by and by she found herself secured into a sort of narrow shelf, and murmuring female voices were at hand. As she moved, she heard, "There, you are better now. You can take this, then you will be more comfortable."
Her eyes had opened to a curious sort of twilight, and there was a fair girlish head over her, with a sweet smiling face. An elderly weather-beaten face in a hood next appeared, and a brown hand holding a cup closed over the top, in invalid fashion, and a kind strong arm slightly raised her with, "There, there, poor dear! The spirit, my lady dear, the spirit! That"s right, now then."
"You MUST be a baby;" and a merry rea.s.suring smile broke out as the draught was administered. Vera tasted, thanked, swallowed, felt giddy, and lay down, hearing a lively bit of self-gratulation.
"There, Mrs. Griggs, I"m getting my sea legs!" followed by an ignominious stumble as Mrs. Griggs caught the cup in good time as the vessel gave a lurch which completed Vera"s awakening in the fear of being shaken out on the floor.
She looked round to find herself in a tiny room, cushioned throughout, with strange dancing confused light coming in, and the few articles of furniture carefully secured. Two young figures were there, both dressed in stout blue serge, with white tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs; one, the darker, beside her bed, had a face full of kindness and solicitude, yet of fun dimpling over continually; the other, even in that dim light, striking Vera as something out of the loveliest visions of romance, so fair and beautiful was the countenance.
A man"s voice was at the door. "Fly! Francie! How is she?"
"Much better! Nearly well! Good morning, Papa dear. Is he all right?"
"As sound as a bell! Ha!" As the door escaped, the curtain over it shook, and he nearly fell against it, saving himself with his hands.
"That was exercise!" As the young girls came tumbling up and disappeared behind the curtain, where, however, the voices could be plainly heard, "Had any sleep to-night or this morning?"
"Between whiles! O yes! All our bones are still whole, as I hope yours and Ivy"s are."
"Come and see. Griggs is getting breakfast under difficulties insurmountable to any one but a sea-gra.s.shopper! I came to call you damsels, and present my inquiries to Miss Prescott."
"She will soon be all right! Francie and I are so proud of having had a real downright adventure."
"I trust she will not be the worse, and will--excuse me, and regard me as incognito."
This was said as another lurch drove the grizzled head into the cabin; and recovering in another upheaval they all disappeared, leaving Vera in a dreaming state, whence she was only half roused when Mrs. Griggs returned to administer breakfast, so far as she could taste it, under exhortations, pettings, and scoldings; and she very soon fell asleep again, and was thus left, sensible all the time of tossings and buffetings, but so worn out by the five hours of the boat, and so liable to be made ill by the motion of the vessel, that it was thought best to leave her to sleep in her berth.
She was only aware of voices above talking and laughing, or sailor calls being shouted out, or now and then of some one coming to look at her, and insisting on her taking food.
It was not till late in the afternoon that she awoke from what seemed like a strange long uneasy dream, and found one of the girls sitting by her and telling her she was better now.
"Yes," said Vera, trying to raise herself, finding something over her head, and falling back on the pillow; "but what is it? Where is this?"
"THIS is somewhere out in the Channel, near off Guernsey, Griggs says, but we cannot put in anywhere till the gale goes down."
"What is it? Is it a ship, then?"
"O yes," said the girl, laughing; "a yacht, the Kittiwake. Sir Robert Audley has lent it to my brother, and we are all going to see the Hebrides and Staffa and Iona."