He did not speak, but he took and held both my hands in his, and pressed them warmly, looking down at me with a happy, smiling face. "God bless you!" he said, "God bless you, Daisy! I thought I should never see you again." "Why so, William?" I asked, sitting down on a rock and making him sit down by me. He hesitated as he replied: "Don't you know?" "O, William, what is it? You make my heart beat." "Why we have been wrecked in the Mediterranean. I am sorry to tell you so abruptly; I thought you knew." He was safe before me; but we feel even the past perils of those we love. I felt myself turning faint and pale. William seemed much moved; he assured me that the danger had not been so very great, though in the hour of peril he had indeed thought of me as of one he should see no more. "Oh, William!" I said, looking up, and allowing him again to take my hands in his, "will you not leave that perilous life, and that dangerous sea?" "I cannot, Daisy; why I am only here for two days; I shall not see much of you before I am off again." "For long?" "A year," he replied, sighing. "How long have you been back?" "Two hours." "Why did you not come to me at once?" "Why did I wander up and down here, but to get a sight of you?" "Then it was you I took for Cornelius. You know he is come back. Oh, William! you must call on us and see him. How much you will like him!" "And how fond you are of him, Daisy, said William, in a low tone. "Why, of course, I am; and he deserves it." "Ay, that he does," he warmly replied. "You know, Daisy, I always said he was a good man." "He is a good man, for he does good actions, and never seems to know it. He is a great man--for he has genius, which is a great gift; and," I added, with a smile, "he is a handsome man, too, William." "There are some very fine men amongst those Irish," gravely replied William; "and they wear well too. There's our captain--Captain MacMahon-- who is upwards of fifty, but the most splendid fellow I ever saw--six foot six: then such shoulders and such lungs. He does not roar like Johnstone, or scream like Philipps; but he just opens his mouth, and lets his voice out as it were. Then his fists--you should see his fists, Daisy!" I was much amused, and replied: "I fear Cornelius is not quite equal to Captain MacMahon, yet I think you will like him, William." "This is the second time you say so." "Because I know it--just as I know that he will be delighted with you." William gave me a look, half shy, half pleased, and muttered something that sounded very like: "Did _I_ care for him?" "No," I replied, amused at the question, "not at all. How can I care for a friend who leaves me to go and get wrecked?" "Not at all, Daisy," he echoed; "not at all." He stooped, and looked very eagerly into my face. I drew back with a laugh that was checked by a voice observing behind me: "Daisy, what are you doing here at this hour?"