years and her garments."

"The mother may have been washed off before," said Susan, lifting the
little one from the cradle, and hushing it.
"Weep not, poor babe, thou hast found a mother here."

"Saw you no sign of the crew?" asked Master Heatherthwayte.

"None at all. The vessel I knew of old as the brig Bride of Dunbar,
one of the craft that ply between Dunbar and the French ports."

"And how think you? Were none like to be saved?"

"I mean to ride along the coast to-morrow, to see whether aught can
be heard of them, but even if their boats could live in such a sea,
they would have evil hap among the wreckers if they came ashore. I
would not desire to be a shipwrecked man in these parts, and if I had
a Scottish or a French tongue in my head so much the worse for me."

"Ah, Master Heatherthwayte," said Susan, "should not a man give up
the sea when he is a husband and father?"

"Tush, dame! With God's blessing the good ship Mastiff will ride out
many another such gale. Tell thy mother, little Numpy, that an
English sailor is worth a dozen French or Scottish lubbers."

"Sir," said Master Heatherthwayte, "the pious trust of the former
part of your discourse is contradicted by the boast of the latter
end."