was bright with many stars. The cliffs around, with their white fronts stretching down towards the beach, looked cold and ghastly, and there was scarcely a sound to be heard but the flapping wings of a solitary sea-gull, and the distant cry of the sailors, keeping time to their pulling altogether, as they hauled in their cables.

Little John could not help stopping for a moment to look round upon a scene, which, although seen by him every day, yet seemed now to look particularly beautiful, and at the same time of a kind of awful loveliness. Now that he stood quite alone, and had time to think, he felt that he had just done a very bold thing in undertaking to make so long a voyage of his own accord, and without having asked the advice of any one, no not even the advice of his own mother. And then came the thought of what she would say when she found what he had done. "I know," thought he, "I am doing right, for I am trying to do good to my mother, and perhaps if I were to have asked her leave first, she would have been afraid to let such a little boy as I am go all alone, and with strangers, too-but then no one would hurt such a little fellow as I am; and then she would think, that I should never be able to travel in France, because I have no money, and I can't speak French, which I have heard everybody speaks in France, even the little boys and girls, and she would be afraid I should have no bed, and be obliged to lie in the fields, and then she would perhaps forbid me to go, which I should be very sorry for, because I should not like to disobey her, yet all the time I should know I ought to go, for though there will be a great many difficulties, yet I feel that if I try hard and do my best to get through them and help myself, that God will be so good and

kind as to take care of me." Little John, as he thought of all this, looked over the blue waters, and felt the tears come in his eyes, and a kind of swelling sensation come over his breast, and it seemed to him as if he had never prayed so earnestly in all his life, though he could not say a word. Just then he recollected that it must be very late, and that he had stayed away from home so long that his mother would be uneasy; so he ran as quickly as he could towards the hut, determining that he had better not mention his intention of going to his mother at all.

"Why, Johnny dear," said she, as he bounced into the cottage quite out of breath, "what a long time you have been away. I suppose neighbour Haul kept you.

John felt inclined to say, "yes, mother," but he knew it would not be quite the truth, so he said "I stayed a little while talking with Bill Haul, mother, and I stayed the rest of the time on the beach, but, if you please, mother, I would rather you would n't ask me what I stayed there for."

"Very well, dear," said his mother; "no harm, I dare say." "No indeed, mother," answered John; and they sat down to their supper of dried fish, onions, and brown bread.

"What ails you, child, a'n't you hungry?" said his mother, observing that he cut off his usual portion of bread and fish, but that, instead of eating it at once, he took only a small piece of each, and put by the rest.

"Thank'ee mother, I don't wish the whole of it to-night," said John, for he thought that he should want something to take with him the next morning, and he did not like to deprive his mother of any more than he could help, as she could so ill afford to spare it. And then he was still more glad that he had not told his mother of his intended voyage, for even if

she had allowed him to go, she would have given him everything she had in the house, and left herself entirely without food.

When the time came for going to bed, and little John wished his mother "good night," as she placed her hand as usual on his head, and said, "God bless you, my comfort," he again felt the swelling sensation at his breast, and was very much inclined to throw himself into her arms, and tell her all he intended to do for her; but he checked himself, and saying, "May God be a friend to us, mother," kissed her fervently and tenderly, and ran hastily into his own little room, where he threw himself on his straw mattrass, and was soon sound asleep.

When he awoke, he was alarmed to see that it was already daylight, and feared that the sun must be risen. He jumped up, put on his clothes as quickly as he could, put up his two remaining checked shirts in a bundle together, with two more pair of grey stockings, and tying his best handkerchief (which his mother had given him for a keepsake) round her spinning-wheel, as a sort of farewell remembrance, for he could not write, he left the cottage, and ran as fast as he could along the sea-beach, eating part of the remainder of his supper as he went. It was not until he had reached the harbour, that he found the sun was already up, for the cliffs hindered him from seeing it while he was on the beach underneath them; he was afraid it was very late, and asked a man, who was standing with his hands in his pockets, looking at a crab that lay kicking on its back among some sea-weed, what o'clock it was. man carelessly answered, without looking up, "past four."

The

"O, dear, I shall be too late; what shall I do?" exclaimed little John. "Master," continued he, turning again to the man, who was now scraping some sand with his foot over the sprawling

crab, "I say, Master, have you seen a Frenchman about here this morning?"

The man stared for a moment full in little John's face, and said, "Lord, how should I know;" and then returned again to his stupid cruel amusement.

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"O dear me, what shall I do-but I had better not stay here," thought little John; "I must do as well as I can, and try to find him out for myself." He went towards a few men whom he saw at a little distance, who seemed to be watching some fishing-boats going out. As he pushed into the midst of them, he felt himself touched on the shoulder, and, on looking round, he saw his friend the Frenchman.

"Ah, my littel ami, my littel friend," said he, "you are very good time here, I see."

"O, I am glad I have found you, I was afraid I should be too late, for a man told me just now that it was past four o' clock."

'No, no such ting," answered the Frenchman; "it is half an hour past tree only."

"O, I am so glad," replied John, "for then there will be time for me to run and leave a message with Bill Haul for my mother, who, I am afraid, will be frightened when she finds I have gone away."

The Frenchman agreed, telling him to mind and be back in time, and so John went to Bill Haul, and told him all about his intended journey to France, begging him to go every day and see his mother, and be kind to her, for his sake, while he was away. Bill Haul promised all this, for he loved little John Barton for his goodnature and obliging disposition, and when John returned to the harbour, he felt much happier

than he did before, now that he knew his mother would know where he was, and that she would have some one to go and help her in his absence. At first, John Barton was very happy on board the Frenchman's boat, helping him and two other men, who were aboard, to work the vessel; but when he had been there about an hour and a half, he began to feel very sick at the stomach, and his head ached so much, that he had a great mind to ask Jacques Bontemps (which was the Frenchman's name) if he might go into the cabin and lie down for a little while; but as he saw that he and the men were busy, he thought he would manage as well as he could for himself; so seeing a large boat-cloak in a corner, he threw himself upon it, and had not lain long there before he felt quite recovered, which, perhaps, would not have been the case if he had gone below, as the warm air of a confined cabin is more likely to bring on sea-sickness than to relieve it. The fresh air of the deck, and his being constantly at work, soon made him quite well; and when the Frenchman came to him to see if he wanted any breakfast, he found that he was very hungry. He produced a small bit of dried fish and some crust, which was all that was left of his provision, and began to eat it.

"Ah, my poor littel ami! What, is dat all what you have for your dejeuné-for your breakfast? Stop, stop! Stay, let me see if I cannot give you something better."

The kind Jacques went and fetched him some boiled eggs, wine, and some bread. John thanked him, and eat it very heartily; but he mixed some water with the wine. Jacques Bontemps, who was watching him, said, "Ah, ha! it is all very well dat you put de water to de wine now, but you