was heard all over the house, and the line of his Eminence, 'Go, be lovers while you may!' was received with a shout of laughter.

In the third act another incident occurred the reverse of what the author intended.

De Mauprat, burning with indignation at his supposed wrongs, undertakes to slay Richelieu, and, full of that purpose, seeks him out. There stood the wrathful young hero resplendent in armour. On

finding that the helmet was much too large for him, he had stuffed it with his necktie, collar, cuffs and socks, and a piece of brown paper. After taxing the priest-minister with treachery, he winds up the speech with 'Expect no mercy, behold De Mauprat and throws back the visor to show his face. In doing this portion of the business, his action was so energetic and jerky, that over toppled the helmet and out rolled the unexpected padding! Richelieu's patience was even proof

6

against this event, but he succumbed to the next. He had vindicated his conduct, and called forth his ward to substantiate it with What ho, Julie-Julie de Mortemar! Lo, my witness!' when, to his astonishment, Marion popped on, and, in the loudest of stage whispers, said, 'Do the best you can with me; Julie's too tipsy to come on again.' From that moment our play was treated as a farce. The balloon of our vanity was punctured, and that night we retired to rest sadder and, I hope, wiser men.

ADVICE TO AMATEURS.-Never

imagine, when you see any article badly made, that you, without any knowledge of the craft, can make a better. Creep before you walk ; select plays within the range of your abilities; and, above all, never encourage lady-like young gentlemen to play female parts.

On Friday afternoon, March 31st, the Royal mail steamer Douro touched at Lisbon on her way from Rio to Southampton. I took passage by her, and went on board more depressed than I ever remember starting on a sea voyage before. As I have lived in New Zealand, the Sandwich Islands, and Tahiti; besides having visited San Francisco four times, and journeyed through the West Indies, across Panama and up the Mexican coast, I am not without experience in sea travel; and I generally dread accidents on the railway more than the dangers of the ocean. This time, however, it was otherwise with me. For two consecutive nights I had had the same bad dream. In it everything belonging to the house in which I seemed to be living appeared to be falling about my ears; the paper hanging in shreds down the walls, and ruin everywhere.

In spite of reason and commonsense, these dreams troubled and haunted me, making me feel apprehensive and uncomfortable, like 'the shadows of coming events.' I spoke of them to a friend in Lisbon, who went to the steamer with

me.

Going down to dinner that evening, Mr. T., whom I had met at the Braganza Hotel, asked if he should take a place for me at the table beside his daughter, as I was travelling alone. Later on, she and I were sitting drinking tea beside the poor lady from Rio who afterwards lost her husband in the

collision, and we talked of the voyage as far as Lisbon. The steamer had arrived there about four days late, and, it was said, the captain had received orders from the Mail SS. Company, by telegraph, to hurry on as fast as he could, so as to make some amends for lost time.

Opposite to us at the table sat a German, a Vice-Consul, who joined in our conversation, and that in a most dismal and ill-foreboding

tone.

"We've got to a bad part now,' he said; if we come to grief here, nothing can save us.'

'But we are not thinking of coming to grief,' I objected; 'don't suggest such a thing.'

I shouldn't wonder if we do, though,' he went on; and if anything happens, there's a rocky coast all the way now, and nothing to help us.'

'Don't prophesy evil!' we said. 'Well, things have gone wrong all the way from Rio, and I don't feel easy.'

We left our melancholy fellowpassenger and went on deck.

'What a dismal Job's comforter that was!' said Miss T.

'O, that comes of drinking tea and claret together,' I replied jokingly. He had a tumbler of vin ordinaire standing by his teacup.'

Next day the sea was rough, and we were both very sick. I came on deck, however, for a few minutes. Whilst there, Captain Kemp came by, and asked me kindly, in passing, if I had had a good night.

Then Mr. Atherley, the fourth officer, being near me, I asked him if there was any library on board. He replied no; but added that he had plenty of books, and would lend me one. The book he brought was Paul Wynter's Sacrifice. not read one page of it, after all; but later events fixed its title strongly in my memory.

I did

'I wonder any one takes to a seafaring life,' I said to Mr. Atherley; it always seems to me a most wretched one; and I have seen a great deal of it.'

I wonder so, too,' he replied; 'it is hard enough; and the worst of it is, one is fit for nothing else after some years of it.'

We chatted a little more: his face and manner pleased me; and I felt drawn to him, as he spoke, I fancied, sadly. So much so, that when I went down to my cabin again, I thought much of him, and speculated mentally as to his character, and why he had come to

sea.

I had a story for boys in writing at the time, of which, strangely enough, I had said to a friend before leaving England, My hero will go with me to Lisbon, and be wrecked on the way home.'

He and the young officer became mixed up in my thoughts as I lay sea-sick in my berth.

The sea was heavy and rough, but the night perfectly clear, and there was moonlight. It will be rougher yet,' said the stewardess ; 'we are getting near the Bay of Biscay.' Wishing to lie as easily as possible, I completely undressed myself, which is not my custom at sea. I have generally prided myself on being prepared for emergencies, and had then close at hand a change of warm garments to put on for the night. I neglected to do this that evening, feeling so utterly exhausted, and was nearly asleep, when, a little before

eleven o'clock, I heard a crash, which sounded only like broken glass and scantling from my room, in which I was alone. It would not have roused me, but for the sound of many feet running on deck and down the steps. I jumped up, looked out, and, putting on a cloak, ran to the companion ladder.

I shall never forget the sight of the men, who had got there before me, darting back into their cabins to seize their clothes. Is it an explosion, or what?' Collision !' was the reply. I ran into my room again, grasped my skirt, in the pocket of which I knew my purse was, another cloak, and a small bag, leaving my watch and some other articles of value lying in the berth, and rushed up on deck.

There all was confusion. I managed to get on my skirt, whilst a man dragged on his garments at my side, leaning against a deckhouse. Then I remember putting my hand in his for a moment; I did not know who he was, but I was alone. I felt no panic, but believed death was near to us all, in fact inevitable, as they said we were sinking. A moment later Captain Kemp came past. To the boats; the women in first!' he cried, sending Mr. Atherley, whom I followed closely, on to the port fore lifeboat. He pulled me up on to a high hencoop, having given orders in a firm steady voice for the lowering of the boat; making me sit down, because I wanted to jump in before she was level and steady. More women, boys, and some men got in, and they bid us sit low in the boat. In lowering, her rudder was broken; the steamer was rolling, the sea heavy. One end of the boat went down more rapidly than the other, and we felt certain we were going to the bottom. It was an awful moment, but with care we reached the sur

face safely. Then there was no knife or hatchet at hand to detach our ropes from the ship, and the confused curses and cries for one were dreadful. Whilst I was fumbling in my little bag for a penknife, a boy passenger produced one from his pocket, and we were detached. A wave having separated us from the sinking vessel, there was a hunt for rowlocks, which were found all in a bundle, tied together at the bottom of the boat, whilst we were sitting on the oars. The oaths from some stokers were horrible, and I believed we had not a single seaman amongst us, as the men could not manage the oars properly; and when I told one man he was rowing in an opposite direction from the others, he cursed me, and told me to hold my tongue. One coloured man shouted, 'Where we going?' another lamented his lost property on board the steamer, and even wanted to return, as she had not yet sunk. A boy anxiously begged us to 'trim ships,' as we were all down on one side. Several voices shouted, 'Who'll take command ?' and one or two tried to keep order.

At last we settled down a little, and it seems we had a seaman on board, who managed to steer with an oar, which a landsman could not have done. But where to steer to was the question. No one knew what had become of the steamer which had run into us. The engines in both vessels had gone on for a few minutes, and the Douro had her fore-topsail set. They rowed for a little. I think I was the first to cry, 'I see a ship with lights, and she has a light at her masthead.' Seated high, on some oars, I could see her. Then we saw another vessel, which seemed all dark, near to the first. Α voice cried next, 'Those are distress signals; she is sinking! Soon rockets went up into the air from

the lighted ship; there was an explosion; cries and shrieks followed, and we saw her go down, head foremost. We were then making for the dark-looking vessel. A few minutes later we saw the Douro go down stern foremost. We could see no other of our boats; the sea was heavy, it was hard pulling against the great rollers; and we, who had left in the first boat, did not know how many of our companions might be saved. Have

you left any one behind on board?' asked a lady who sat beside her husband, as her hand grasped mine. 'No, thank God!' 'Are your father and mother here?' I said to two boys behind me. 'Yes.' 'Ah, thank God! We had talked a little in this fashion, and tried to make each other more comfortable, feeling sure one of the two vessels we saw would pick us up. But when the shrieks and cries of the drowning sounded in our ears, I confess that I felt my courage ready to forsake me in case we should be tossed about much longer. When at last that friendly third vessel-which seemed a very ark of safety, God-sent-was reached, and a voice from the deck bade us go back and try to pick up some of the drowning men, I remember holding up my hands mutely, as though to beg the captain to take us in. Afterwards I excused myself mentally for this, by the fact that our men seemed most of them worthless in an emergency, and our boat was full and seemingly leaky.

'We have women and children on board,' our steerer shouted back.

Then a line was flung out to us, and we managed, with some difficulty, to get safely alongside.

Seeing a rope-ladder close to me, I disobeyed the order 'Sit still; none of you move!' and, dropping my little bag, which contained some things very precious

to me, and which I did not hear of again, I grasped the ropes firmly and climbed up. 'Why didn't you take your bag in your teeth?' said a sailor to me afterwards. I feared to lose my own hold; and bags, however valuable, seemed worthless whilst lives were being lost so near us. Every moment's delay might be costing one of these. After all, our boat was turned adrift, they told me, and I heard that Captain Turner of the Hidalgo, our rescue vessel, blamed the men for doing it, as she was a good lifeboat.

Climbing that ladder was easy work at first, but near the top it puzzled me, there being so little purchase for the feet. Men above pulled me on, however, and then two strong arms lifted me bodily over the side, and placed me gently on the deck.

I shall never forget that moment as long as I live! 'Thank God!' was all I could say as the man bade me go into the cabin; and I hurried down, only too thankful to obey this time, and to get to some place where the awful sounds of the sea could not reach

me.

I was the first from the Douro to go down into the saloon of the Hidalgo. Up to that time I had had my wits about me; but my head received a knock-in climbing up the ship's side, I think it must have been-and I suddenly seemed bewildered, and not to remember that passengers from the second steamer might have arrived already. On the seats round the tables at the further end sat pale worn-looking women; one or two of them with children in their arms. At one end was a man with a face expressive of the greatest suffering. A woman had her hand bound up. They all sat as silent as death, and looked curiously at me as I entered the saloon.

VOL. XXXI.

'What a weird strange-looking lot of cabin passengers! It seems like a scene from Coleridge's Ancient Mariner,' I thought. They appeared to be fully dressed, whilst I was conscious of still wearing my nightdress, although covered by a skirt and ulster. Having clambered up by the ship's ladder, I was there some minutes before the others who went through the slower process of being hoisted up by ropes-followed me: whilst a few had taken refuge in the chartroom on deck.

'Are you passengers ?' I asked, after looking at them all. Si, si, señora,' several voices answered mournfully. Then I looked again at the man, who showed me his white handkerchief full of blood. 'This is some consumptive patient taking a voyage for his health,' I thought.

'Where is this ship going?' I asked next. 'To Hull.'

The steward came in just then, so I asked him if he had a berth to spare, thinking I should be going on to Hull also; and, as my clothing was so scant, I should be glad to keep quiet there.

The berths are all disengaged,' he answered.

'Then where do all these people sleep?' I wondered.

Soon a fire was lighted in the little stove, and our Douro passengers began to pour in. 'Ah, you are there!' 'Where is So-and-so ?' and the like greetings passed. One young wife, with her child in her arms, and a strong kind husband elsewhere, said, 'I've lost everything-everything.' Near her, in sad contrast, sat a lady, the picture of mute despair, watching with hungry eyes the entrance to the cabin. She had been put into one of the boats whilst her husband, who was not very strong, had been unable to follow; or waited for another boat which might be less full.

F