"I must swim round and get a boat; it is not very, very far to the village there. I may be back in time, Hope." "And if not?" she said; but she needed no answer. "Pray," he said. "Go back and tell them all that 'Christ is able to save to the uttermost.'" "Oh, Wilmot, Wilmot! What will mamma say?" she exclaimed, as he wrenched off his wet coat and threw it to her, and, dropping his boots, waded into deeper water. "My love to them all," he said, "and to Miss Arundel, and tell them not to fear, but that I will do my best." In a moment there was nothing to be seen but his dark head. But soon they saw him clambering over the rocks at the corner of the cliff. "Deep water!" he shouted, and waved his hand. And as he plunged in again on the other side, he felt as if he had left behind him something which he held very dear. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER VII. WHERE? MRS. ELLIOT sat for some time after her little party had left her, thinking of many things, and when she began to feel lonely she made her way down to the cottage, which was about half-way to the shore. The woman was busy preparing their tea, which had been ordered when they left the pony there in the morning, and Mrs. Elliot therefore sat down on the bench outside the door and opened the book she had brought. When she looked up, after an hour or more, she felt astonished that the young people had not returned. She went into the old-fashioned kitchen, and found the woman setting the cream and butter upon the table. "They are late, Mrs. Mansbridge," said Mrs. Elliot; "but they will soon be here, I expect. What a pleasant room this is." "Yes, ma'am; but since my man left me, it has not seemed the same." "I can well believe that," answered Mrs. Elliot. "Is it long since you lost him?" "Six months," answered the woman; "and he left me with a day-old baby." "Oh, how very sad for you." "One thing that comforts me is, he kissed it before he went. He held it in his arms; he had so longed for it; and then he said, as he gave it back to me, 'I don't know if I shall ever see thee again, my love; but tell the little man that his father loved him and blessed him.'" "How was it?" asked Mrs. Elliot, thinking of the long weary illness of her own husband. "He never came back alive, ma'am. A storm came on, and one of the spars of his boat broke, and in half-an-hour, he was—'at home,' ma'am." "At home?" asked Mrs. Elliot. "Ah, yes, I know what you mean." "And though this is not like home without him," said the woman, "yet I can wait; my Father has made me willing, ma'am." Just then a sailor boy was seen hurrying up the hill. He beckoned to Mrs. Mansbridge through the lattice window, and she went out. When she re-entered her face was very pale, and she came up gently to Mrs. Elliot. "There has been an accident, ma'am," she said softly; "but a boat has been gone some time with the young gentleman." "What has happened?" said Mrs. Elliot, starting towards the door.