"No one shall help me with this," said she, in a low voice.

Her father did not understand her; her husband did, and placed his
strong helping arm round her waist, and blessed her.

"We will all go together, Nest," said he. "But where?" and he looked
up at the storm-tossed clouds coming up from windward.

"It is a dirty night," said Ellis, turning his head round to speak to
his companions at last. "But never fear, we'll weather it?" And he
made for the place where his vessel was moored. Then he stopped and
thought a moment.

"Stay here!" said he, addressing his companions. "I may meet folk,
and I shall, maybe, have to hear and to speak. You wait here till I
come back for you." So they sat down close together in a corner of
the path.

"Let me look at him, Nest!" said Owen.

She took her little dead son out from under her shawl; they looked at
his waxen face long and tenderly; kissed it, and covered it up
reverently and softly.

"Nest," said Owen, at last, "I feel as though my father's spirit had
been near us, and as if it had bent over our poor little one. A
strange chilly air met me as I stooped over him. I could fancy the
spirit of our pure, blameless child guiding my father's safe over the
paths of the sky to the gates of heaven, and escaping those accursed