found. Jack, however, was not to be balked, but, hailing his boat, he instantly sent her back for the required ingredients. They were brought by the time the potatoes were in the pot, and then he set to work in apparently the most scientific manner-tucking his sleeves up to his elbows, and fastening a napkin round his waist. He then collected basins and tubs, and having put in the flour, and suet, and raisins, and other ingredients, he began kneading away with great vigour. There was a twinkle in his mischievous eyes, as if he thought what he was about a very good joke. He next seized upon some elegant doilys and valuable table-napkins, and soon made pudding-bags of them by filling them with his mixture. Fresh fires had to be lighted, and every pot that could be obtained was brought into requisition, that Jack Leeson's puddings might be boiled.

"Hot work, pudding making!" he exclaimed, as he washed the flour off his hands and pulled down his shirt-sleeves. "Now I vote we climb the cliffs and admire the beauties of nature while they and the murphies are boiling. Miss Caroline Pendergrast, may I have the felicity of escorting you ?"

Carry was nothing loth, for, though Jack had only just before been introduced, he was good looking, and she rather liked fast young men. The example they set was followed by the whole of the younger members of the party; Lady Dashton, Mrs. Cheeteem and a few of the other dowagers, with Sir Paul and his friend the alderman, and the Rev. Mr. Chasuble, who felt rightly that his blue collar would be wofully disarranged if he made the attempt to climb, remaining on the beach. The sand cliffs in all directions were soon covered with straggling groups, who divided more and more, some going up one ravine or winding path, and some another, till they reached the downs

above.

"I do not think that we chaperones are of much use," sagaciously observed Mrs. Nops, folding her hands before her.

"Too true, dear lady," said Mr. Chasuble, with an upturned eye. "But then, remember, for your consolation, I shall be able to ascertain that they ordered their conversation aright, and did nothing wrong. Ah, that admirable institution, the Confessional!-what an advantage-what an assistance to mothers and guardians of youth! How grateful we should be to our holy mother the Church for establishing it!"

"Ah, truly, yes," murmured Mrs. Nops, looking up at Euphemia and Agatha, who, with Mr. Mopus and the Rev. S. Onyphrius Albe, were perched on the cliffs high above their heads. "I wonder, now, what they are saying to each other.'

"I will find out, dear madam, ere long," answered Mr. Chasuble, knowingly, nodding his head.

The young people, meantime, had paired off as young people are apt to do. Carry and Polly, with Leeson and O'Dowdy, had kept near each other. They reached the top of the cliffs and turned westward. Here they were joined by their sisters and some other young ladies, with Peppercorne and Chesterton. The downs here are of a peculiar and very dangerous character. At first, they slope very gradually upwards from the top of the cliffs; but, towards the west,

VOL. LX.

the slope becomes steeper and steeper, till it is almost perpendicular, yet the transition is so gradual, that it is scarcely perceivable by the eye.

Most of the party sat down on the top of the downs to watch a small steamer coming in from the westward; some pronounced her to be a gunboat, others a yacht, and as she drew nearer the latter were found to be right. Polly and Carry, meantime, took it into their heads to walk along the downs towards the west, perceiving that the ground over which they passed became steeper and steeper. Still on they went, till suddenly they discovered that they were actually sliding towards the edge of the cliff. At the same moment, they became aware of the danger of their position. They did the wisest thing they could-sat down; and then they did what was somewhat foolish, they began to cry. Their terror increased; they looked at the ground over which they had passed, and felt that they could not possibly walk back over it. If they even attempted to move, they found themselves slipping down towards the edge of the fearful cliff. They had gone so far beyond the rest of the party that no one observed their danger.

Oh, Carry, Carry, what shall we do? We shall both be dashed to pieces," said Polly, beginning to cry.

"Oh dear, dear, I hope not," exclaimed her sister, also bursting into tears. "To be picked up mangled corpses down on the sands there, where we expected to enjoy our pic-nic so much, it's very dreadful."

Their cries increased in loudness, till at length some of their friends heard them. Leeson and O'Dowdy, who had been looking for them, now first saw their danger. Never, perhaps, had Jack Leeson's heart before sunk so low. He had himself been once on the very spot, and with difficulty scrambled off again. O'Dowdy, when he saw Polly crying, was instantly rushing towards her.

"Stop, stop! my dear fellow," cried Leeson. "You'll go over, and carry them with you. Let me go first on my hands and knees, and follow my example. Work your way diagonally upwards. Take off your boots, and trust to your fingers and toes to gripe hold of the grass."

O'Dowdy, following Jack's advice, they began their expedition. How the young ladies had managed to get so far over the slippery grass it was difficult to conceive, for even by themselves they found it no easy task. Still they worked their way forward on their hands and knees, and at length reached the young ladies, who, when they saw them coming, had ceased crying. Leeson took charge of Carry, and the O'Dowdy entreated Polly to put herself under his care.

"Never fear a bit, my darlin'," he exclaimed, in the exuberance of his feelings. "If we are to go we'll go over together, but we'll not do that same as long as I've nails on my fingers and toes. Just take off your boots, and I'll put them in my pockets, and we'll get on all the better."

Polly did as she was advised, and Carry followed her example.

"A capital idea, Dan," exclaimed Leeson, leading the way, holding Carry round the waist with one arm, while with his other hand and

feet he crawled along the downs. More than once he could with difficulty prevent himself from slipping. Carry seemed to be unable to do anything to help herself, but clung confidingly to his arm: Polly was equally well supported by O'Dowdy; and the two couple, in this most unfashionable if not unromantic mode of progression, at length reached their expectant friends. They were warmly welcomed, and the gallantry of the gentlemen highly lauded.

"I shall always be grateful," said Carry, looking affectionately at Leeson.

"And so shall I," said Polly, with a tender glance at O'Dowdy. Probably neither of them would have expressed their sentiments so freely under other circumstances. Perhaps, also, under other circumstances, their swains would not have reciprocated them. However, in a short time it became very evident that gratitude was likely to ripen. into love. Leeson forgot all about his dumplings, and O'Dowdy about his potatoes. They were recalled at length to a recollection of their duties by Chesterton and Peppercorne, and the party descended, somewhat tired, hot, and hungry, to the beach. They were received with showers of complaints from the elders, who declared that they were almost starved, and had had to satisfy their appetites with bread and cheese. On this, O'Dowdy recollected his potatoes. On exexamining one of the pots, he found that they were in a sad state of tumble-to-piecedness.

"My compositions are, I am sure, free from that fault," exclaimed Leeson, hooking one out of the pot. He swung it to and fro at the end of a big fork, to cool it, he said. "Now for a dish," he cried. The doily was untied, and out rolled a dumpling, with a sound which showed that it was as hard as a round-shot. "Never mind, the next will be softer," said the amateur cook; but that proved to be as hard as the first, and so did every one of the rest.

"Faith, now, they'll be nice aiting for any gentleman or young lady, maybe, who's desperately in love, and wants to get out of it," exclaimed O'Dowdy, with a knowing wink, which Polly didn't quite like. "You'll not eat one, I suppose, Mr. O'Dowdy?" she said, demurely.

"No, my darlin'-I beg pardon, Miss Polly Pendergrast-I am perfectly content with the state of my feelings," answered O'Dowdy, with a tender glance at her; but as the gentleman was rather in the habit of bestowing tender glances on pretty girls, this might mean nothing. She was assisting in turning the "murphies," as he called the potatoes, into the dishes.

As there was an abundant supply of substantials as well as of luxuries, the condition of the dumplings was of no consequence. In vain Jack tried to get his friends to partake of them, and when he pressed them very hard, it was proposed that he should dine off them himself.

A grave-looking gentleman was added to the party, who proved to be Mr. Gilbert Halliday, owner of the steam-yacht Aspasia. He had been for some time acquainted with Sir Paul, and from his manner towards Miss Pendergrast it seemed not impossible that she would some day become Mrs. Halliday. All the party were tolerably tired

with their climb, and as it was impossible to dance on the shingles, most of them sat quietly in their places. A few strolled off to pick up pebbles, or to collect some coloured sand, or to sketch; and at length it was announced that unless they embarked forthwith, as the wind was light, that they would to a certainty lose the tide to Cowes. It was currently reported the next day that the five Miss Pendergrasts were engaged before they reached Cowes, but time was to show whether the report was true.

CHAPTER IV.

A FOREIGN VOYAGE.

SIR PAUL and his spirited daughters very soon got tired of cruising round and round the Isle of Wight, even though accompanied frequently by the Cleopatra and Maid of Saragossa, and sometimes by the Lady of Lyons, the Fair Imogene, and the Aspasia. Chesterton was an accepted suitor, Peppercorne looked upon himself as one, and the rest of the gentlemen had, it was conjectured, made up their minds to propose, though they had not done so formally. Young ladies with thirty thousand pounds apiece are generally aware that they will experience no great difficulty in finding suitable husbands. The Miss Pendergrasts were, therefore, perfectly ready to go foreign, and to let their lovers follow, if they wished. They were to go up the Mediterranean, to visit several places of interest on its shores, and to return home before the termination of the summer. Chesterton agreed to accompany the Diana, and Captain Peppercorne begged that he might do so likewise.

Mr. Halliday wrote M.P. at the end of his name, and, whatever he might wish to do, his parliamentary duties must, he said, keep him at home; Jack Leeson did not care a rap for Carthage, Cairo, Greece, Italy, Acre, or Constantinople, and was not, he thought, quite in love enough to make him give up his usual amusements at home; while the O'Dowdy had reasons for not quitting English waters just then which he did not wish to explain-in reality, he was engaged in raising the wind, and until he had done so he could not very conveniently pay his crew, while without payment they declined going foreign. This was a disappointment to Polly.

"There is only one way to mend the matter, my darlin'," observed the O'Dowdy, with his most insinuating look.

"What is that?" asked Polly, innocently.

"Just run off with me, and become Mrs. O'Dowdy at once, my darlin'. It's a happy woman I'll make ye, and the lugger is big enough for the two of us, and I'll pay all my debts, and won't it be pleasant then ?"

Polly hesitated. It might be pleasant to be Mrs. O'Dowdy, or very much the contrary; and she had, she recollected, been told that some young ladies possessed of thirty thousand pounds, who had run away with Irish gentlemen, had found that their fortunes had passed out of their own power into that of their liege lords, and been expended.

When a young lady thinks this she is very apt to decline the gentleman's generous proposal, and to stay at home, if she has got two grains

of sense in her head. Polly, fortunately for herself, had several grains, so she said that she preferred taking a voyage in her papa's yacht to the Mediterranean to trusting herself on board the buccaneering-looking lugger, and that when she came back she would see about it. O'Dowdy was dreadfully disappointed; he thought that he had secured Polly. The more he pressed his suit, the more resolved she became, like a wise girl, not to agree to his proposals.

"Ah! it's a cruel creature ye are, Polly, and it isn't myself would have thought it," he said, with a sigh which he intended to be pathetic.

The O'Dowdy made his bow, and pulled back to the lugger, which prepared to get under weigh to accompany the brig out at the Needles. Jack couldn't resist the temptation also of going part of the way. When it came to the point, he found that he had been more captivated by Carry than he had supposed; still he couldn't bring himself to go on board at once manfully, and ask her to marry him, as Chesterton had done Fanny; he had got some notion into his head about losing his liberty, and he dreaded the laughter of some of his wild bachelor friends. The weather was fine and the wind fair, and the yachts, with all the canvas they could carry, stood down Channel, looking as gay, and fresh, and trim as yachts can look, with the exception of the Fair Imogene, and she appeared very much like some daring pirate which had crept in among them.

Five young ladies on board a yacht, with only their papa to amuse them, might have found it rather dull, but they were all thoroughly good-natured, jolly girls, never quarrelled with each other, and always made themselves as happy as they could. They might also have had a notion that they should receive an occasional visit from Chesterton and Peppercorne. Carry might have thought it possible that Jack Leeson would follow, and Mr. Halliday had assured Jane that as soon as bis parliamentary duties would allow he should steam after her in the Aspasia. The second day, when a little to the westward of Plymouth, the lugger was seen to haul her wind as if about to leave the fleet. Glasses were directed towards her. Suddenly a figure rushed on deck, and laid about him with a boat's stretcher; it was the O'Dowdy in his shirt-sleeves. While he was thus engaged, the foresail, and then the mainsail, was lowered, followed by the mizen. Polly was below at the time, or she might, perhaps, have asked her father to put back, and ascertain what was the matter. Her sisters could not, of course, understand it; but as neither of the other yachts took any notice of the circumstance, they naturally concluded that it could. not be one of much importance. By the time, however, that Polly came on deck the lugger was not to be seen. She would not have been a true woman had she not made many inquiries as to what had become of the lugger. She believed, however, that he would very soon come up again with them, as they proposed putting into Falmouth for fresh provisions, and she could not suppose that he would go away altogether without a word of farewell. The next morning the four yachts brought up in Falmouth Harbour, and it then came out that Jack Leeson knew the state of affairs on board the Fair Imogene, and that the crew had determined not to go beyond Plymouth unless their wages were