The Lighthouse | Page 5

the
shore, where it terminates in abrupt, perpendicular precipices, varying
from a hundred to two hundred feet in height. In many places the cliffs
overhang the water, and all along the coast they have been perforated
and torn up by the waves, so as to present singularly bold and
picturesque outlines, with caverns, inlets, and sequestered "coves" of
every form and size.
To the top of these cliffs, in the afternoon of the day on which our tale
opens, a young girl wended her way,--slowly, as if she had no other
object in view than a stroll, and sadly, as if her mind were more
engaged with the thoughts within than with the magnificent prospect of
land and sea without.
The girl was
"Fair, fair, with golden hair,"
and apparently about twenty years of age. She sought out a quiet nook
among the rocks at the top of the cliffs, near to a circular chasm, with
the name of which (at that time) we are not acquainted, but which was
destined ere long to acquire a new name and celebrity from an incident

which shall be related in another part of this story.
Curiously enough, just about the same hour, a young man was seen to
wend his way to the same cliffs, and, from no reason whatever with
which we happened to be acquainted, sought out the same nook! We
say "he was seen", advisedly, for the maid with the golden hair saw him.
Any ordinary observer would have said that she had scarcely raised her
eyes from the ground since sitting down on a piece of flower-studded
turf near the edge of the cliff, and that she certainly had not turned her
head in the direction of the town. Yet she saw him,--however absurd
the statement may appear, we affirm it confidently,--and knew that he
was coming. Other eyes there were that also saw the youth--eyes that
would have caused him some degree of annoyance had he known they
were upon him--eyes that he would have rejoiced to tinge with the
colours black and blue! There were thirteen pair of them, belonging to
twelve men and a lieutenant of the navy.
In those days the barbarous custom of impressment into the Royal
Navy was in full operation. England was at war with France. Men were
wanted to fight our battles, and when there was any difficulty in getting
men, press-gangs were sent out to force them into the service. The
youth whom we now introduce to the reader was a sailor, a strapping,
handsome one, too; not, indeed, remarkable for height, being only a
little above the average--five feet, ten inches, or thereabouts--but noted
for great depth of chest, breadth of shoulder, and development of
muscle; conspicuous also for the quantity of close, clustering,
light-brown curls round his head, and for the laughing glance of his
dark blue eyes. Not a hero of romance, by any means. No, he was very
matter of fact, and rather given to meditation than to mischief.
The officer in charge of the press-gang had set his heart on this youth
(so had another individual, of whom more anon!) but the youth, whose
name was Ruby Brand, happened to have an old mother who was at
that time in very bad health, and she had also set her heart, poor body,
on the youth, and entreated him to stay at home just for one half-year.
Ruby willingly consented, and from that time forward led the life of a
dog in consequence of the press-gang.

Now, as we have said, he had been seen leaving the town by the
lieutenant, who summoned his men and went after him--cautiously,
however, in order to take him by surprise, for Ruby, besides being
strong and active as a lion, was slippery as an eel.
Going straight as an arrow to the spot where she of the golden hair was
seated, the youth presented himself suddenly to her, sat down beside
her, and exclaiming "Minnie", put his arm round her waist.
"Oh, Ruby, don't," said Minnie, blushing.
Now, reader, the "don't" and the blush had no reference to the arm
round the waist, but to the relative position of their noses, mouths, and
chins, a position which would have been highly improper and
altogether unjustifiable but for the fact that Ruby was Minnie's
accepted lover.
"Don't, darling, why not?" said Ruby in surprise.
"You're so rough," said Minnie, turning her head away.
"True, dear, I forgot to shave this morning----"
"I don't mean that," interrupted the girl quickly, "I mean rude
and--and--is that a sea-gull?"
"No, sweetest of your sex, it's a butterfly; but it's all the same, as my
metaphysical Uncle Ogilvy would undertake to prove to you, thus, a
butterfly is white and a gull is white,--therefore, a