At last the “final word” before the silence came in form of a telegram—“Safe on board. This will be despatched by pilot on his return. All well.” The exhilaration of feeling that the great scheme was really put a-working carried Lucy over the first consciousness that the silence had begun. Besides, next day there came another alleviation in a kindly letter from Mrs. Grant, the captain’s wife, who wrote that she thought Lucy might like to hear the very latest news of her husband—as she always did, of the captain. She narrated that she and her husband had thought Mr. Challoner looking wonderfully well, considering the great illness he had had, that he would have been in the very best of spirits, if only he had not been leaving his wife and boy behind. She added that, for her own part, she was delighted that her husband should have the boon of Mr. Challoner’s company. The captain was always glad of a pleasant companion, but could seldom hope to secure the society of an old and valued friend such as Mr. Challoner was. She ended by saying that she would not fail to let Lucy have any item of news which might reach her concerning the ship, and could trust Lucy would do the same towards her, especially as Lucy would surely get long letters from Mr. Challoner at every opportunity; whereas “the captain” was often too busy to send anything but the briefest line, and was but a poor correspondent at best. All this, of course, cheered Lucy greatly, as does always the sympathy of those whose interests are bound up with our own, or at least allied to them. There was also plenty to do. Every housewife knows how her household runs down from the lofty paths of order and precision when there is illness in the home, and everything has to give way to the preservation of a beloved life. Then, too, while her memory of the golden days at Deal was still fresh, Lucy wanted to finish the sketches she had made there. She had always her great ambition, to wit, that by her own work, her teaching and her sketches, she might be able “to keep the house going” without trenching at all on the little store—their all—which Charlie had left with her. It would be so cheering to him to come home and begin life again not a bit poorer than when he went away. While she could do something for Charlie, he seemed not so far off! Florence Brand appeared less helpful than she had promised to be in securing a servant. She sent Lucy two or three girls from sundry registry offices. Lucy was not much attracted to any of them. One wore long plumes; another had taken a seat in the parlour and did not even rise, as any guest would do, when Mrs. Challoner entered. Lucy was really relieved when she found that they all asked higher wages than she had given while Mr. Challoner was at home—a point which it was, of course, impossible to concede. When she mentioned this to her sister, Florence said—