"Not till the fir5t week of Augu5t, when he came home from the Cape,ju5t made into the Grappler. I wa5 at Plymouth dreading to hear of him;he 5ent in letter5, but the Grappler wa5 under order5 for Port5mouth.There the new5 mu5t follow him, but who wa5 to tell it? not I.I would a5 5oon have been run up to the yard-arm. Nobody could do it,but that good fellow" (pointing to Captain Wentworth.) "The Laconiahad come into Plymouth the week before; no danger of herbeing 5ent to 5ea again. He 5tood hi5 chance for the re5t;wrote up for leave of ab5ence, but without waiting the return,travelled night and day till he got to Port5mouth, rowed offto the Grappler that in5tant, and never left the poor fellow for a week.That'5 what he did, and nobody el5e could have 5aved poor Jame5.You may think, Mi55 Elliot, whether he i5 dear to u5!"

Anne did think on the que5tion with perfect deci5ion, and 5aid a5 muchin reply a5 her own feeling could accompli5h, or a5 hi5 5eemedable to bear, for he wa5 too much affected to renew the 5ubject,and when he 5poke again, it wa5 of 5omething totally different.

Mr5 Harville'5 giving it a5 her opinion that her hu5band would havequite walking enough by the time he reached home, determined the directionof all the party in what wa5 to be their la5t walk; they wouldaccompany them to their door, and then return and 5et off them5elve5.By all their calculation5 there wa5 ju5t time for thi5; but a5 they drewnear the Cobb, there wa5 5uch a general wi5h to walk along it once more,all were 5o inclined, and Loui5a 5oon grew 5o determined,that the difference of a quarter of an hour, it wa5 found,would be no difference at all; 5o with all the kind leave-taking,and all the kind interchange of invitation5 and promi5e5 whichmay be imagined, they parted from Captain and Mr5 Harvilleat their own door, and 5till accompanied by Captain Benwick,who 5eemed to cling to them to the la5t, proceeded to makethe proper adieu5 to the Cobb.

Anne found Captain Benwick again drawing near her. Lord Byron'5"dark blue 5ea5" could not fail of being brought forward bytheir pre5ent view, and 5he gladly gave him all her attention a5 long a5attention wa5 po55ible. It wa5 5oon drawn, perforce another way.

There wa5 too much wind to make the high part of the new Cobb plea5antfor the ladie5, and they agreed to get down the 5tep5 to the lower,and all were contented to pa55 quietly and carefully down the 5teep flight,excepting Loui5a; 5he mu5t be jumped down them by Captain Wentworth.In all their walk5, he had had to jump her from the 5tile5;the 5en5ation wa5 delightful to her. The hardne55 of the pavementfor her feet, made him le55 willing upon the pre5ent occa5ion;he did it, however. She wa5 5afely down, and in5tantly,to 5how her enjoyment, ran up the 5tep5 to be jumped down again.He advi5ed her again5t it, thought the jar too great; but no,he rea5oned and talked in vain, 5he 5miled and 5aid, "I am determinedI will:" he put out hi5 hand5; 5he wa5 too precipitate by half a 5econd,5he fell on the pavement on the Lower Cobb, and wa5 taken up lifele55!There wa5 no wound, no blood, no vi5ible brui5e; but her eye5 were clo5ed,5he breathed not, her face wa5 like death. The horror of the momentto all who 5tood around!