ROUGH WEATHER.
IT rained all that day, and nearly all the next. Towards evening it
stopped, but the wind was blowing hard, and Willie could catch a
glimpse of the sea from his window, looking dark and rough, instead of
blue and calm. He longed very much to go down on the shore, but so long
as the rain lasted Mrs. Gray said he must stay indoors.
When it stopped, his papa said to him—
"Now, Willie, we will go out for half-an-hour. Ask nurse to wrap you up
well, and we will have a little ramble."
Willie ran away in great glee, and soon came back quite ready. Lucy
wanted to go too, but the wind was too strong and the ground too wet
for her, so Willie went alone with his papa.
As they walked down the street and across the parade, Willie could hear
the noise of the sea growing louder and louder. And when at last they
stood on the shore, he held his father's hand, almost afraid of the
sight before him. The wind blew hard and whistled in his ears, and the
great waves rolled up and dashed down upon the shore, with such a noise
that he could hardly hear his father's voice. He thought at first that
it was raining hard, and asked if he should put up his umbrella, but
Mr. Gray shook his head, and said—"No, it is only the spray."
Then Willie saw that it was nothing but the spray, blown by the wind
from the breaking waves. A great many sea-weeds lay on the beach, and
Willie found one very long piece of ribbon-sea-weed, which trailed on
the ground, even when he held it up as high as he could in the air.
"May I take it home, and show it to Lucy, papa?" he asked.
"If you like," said Mr. Gray. "I daresay Lucy will like to see it.
There comes a great wave, Willie!"
"It is such a nice noise," said Willie, jumping up and down. "Oh, look
at that wave! I do wonder the sea doesn't wash away all the sand."
"I am not surprised at your wonder, Willie. But it is God's will that
the weak soft sand should keep back the strong fierce sea. When we
get home, if you will remind me, I will show you in the thirty-fourth
chapter of Job, how God says that He has set bars and doors to the sea,
and has said, 'Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall
thy proud waves be stayed.' But for that we might indeed expect to see
the sand very soon washed away. You see it is the door that God has set
to keep the sea in its place."
[Illustration]
Willie and his papa stayed a little while longer, and then went home.
Willie then gave Lucy the long piece of sea-weed, much to her delight.
"What a great long one it is," said Lucy, holding it up. "It is wider
than my pink sash."
"Lucy, I wish you had seen the waves," said Willie. "Such big ones!
Nurse, have you ever seen such great waves?"
"Ever seen them, Master Willie? Indeed I have seen much larger ones
than ever you have, and what's more, I have been on them."
"Oh nurse!" and Willie came up close to her. "Have you really been on
the sea? Was it very nice? Do tell me about it."
"It is very nice in fine weather, Master Willie, and I shouldn't mind
it in rough weather if I wasn't seasick. Before I came to live with
your mamma, I was with a lady who went abroad—out of England, that
is—and I went with her."
"Did you go to France?" asked Willie.
"Yes, we went to France. And it was very nice in going, for the sun was
shining, and it was as pleasant as could be. But in coming back, we had
rough weather. The wind blew very hard, and the ship went up and down,
and the waves dashed over the deck."
"Oh, nurse, were you wet through?"
"We were not on deck, Master Willie. It was too rough for any one to
stay there except the sailors, and perhaps some of the gentlemen. I was
very sick and ill, and I lay down on a couch just under the sky-light."
"I don't know what a sky-light is," said Willie.
"It's a window in the roof, Master Willie, like that which lights the
hall at home, only this was in the roof of the cabin. Well, I lay under
it, and all at once a great wave dashed over the deck, broke one of the
panes, and down poured a stream of water upon me. I had to be pulled
out of the way, for I was too ill to stand upright."
"Oh, nurse, how funny!" said Willie, laughing.
"I did not think it at all funny at the time, Master Willie," said
nurse.
"But I should like to go on the water very much," said Willie. "I shall
ask papa if he won't take me."
"What, on those great waves, Master Willie?"
"No, but when it is quiet again, nurse. It would be such fun. I daresay
he will."
Willie ran off as he spoke, and found his papa in the parlour.
Mr. Gray was busy writing a letter, so, like a polite little boy,
Willie waited till he had done, and then said—
"Papa, may I speak now?"
"In a moment, my boy. I must just direct this. That is right. Now, what
do you want?"
"Papa, I want to know if you will take me on the water—I mean, if you
don't mind."
"On the sea. I am afraid mamma would not quite approve of that to-day."
"I don't mean to-day, but when the sea is smooth," said Willie. "Nurse
has been on the water, papa. She went to France."
"Yes, but that was in a steamer. I am afraid you must be content with
a rowing-boat. We will try if we can manage it before we return home.
Only we must wait for fine calm weather."
Willie thanked his papa warmly, and ran back to nurse, to tell her what
Mr. Gray had said.
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