OUR school was not situated in the heart of the town: on enteringA- from the north-west there is a row of respectable-lookinghouses, on each side of the broad, white road, with narrow slips ofgarden-ground before them, Venetian blinds to the windows, and aflight of steps leading to each trim, brass-handled door. In oneof the largest of these habitations dwelt my mother and I, withsuch young ladies as our friends and the public chose to commit toour charge. Consequently, we were a considerable distance from thesea, and divided from it by a labyrinth of streets and houses. Butthe sea was my delight; and I would often gladly pierce the town toobtain the pleasure of a walk beside it, whether with the pupils,or alone with my mother during the vacations. It was delightful tome at all times and seasons, but especially in the wild commotionof a rough sea-breeze, and in the brilliant freshness of a summermorning.

I awoke early on the third morning after my return from Ashby Park- the sun was shining through the blind, and I thought how pleasantit would be to pass through the quiet town and take a solitaryramble on the sands while half the world was in bed. I was notlong in forming the resolution, nor slow to act upon it. Of courseI would not disturb my mother, so I stole noiselessly downstairs,and quietly unfastened the door. I was dressed and out, when thechurch clock struck a quarter to six. There was a feeling offreshness and vigour in the very streets; and when I got free ofthe town, when my foot was on the sands and my face towards thebroad, bright bay, no language can describe the effect of the deep,clear azure of the sky and ocean, the bright morning sunshine onthe semicircular barrier of craggy cliffs surmounted by greenswelling hills, and on the smooth, wide sands, and the low rocksout at sea - looking, with their clothing of weeds and moss, likelittle grass-grown islands - and above all, on the brilliant,sparkling waves. And then, the unspeakable purity - and freshnessof the air! There was just enough heat to enhance the value of thebreeze, and just enough wind to keep the whole sea in motion, tomake the waves come bounding to the shore, foaming and sparkling,as if wild with glee. Nothing else was stirring - no livingcreature was visible besides myself. My footsteps were the firstto press the firm, unbroken sands; - nothing before had trampledthem since last night's flowing tide had obliterated the deepestmarks of yesterday, and left them fair and even, except where thesubsiding water had left behind it the traces of dimpled pools andlittle running streams.

Refreshed, delighted, invigorated, I walked along, forgetting allmy cares, feeling as if I had wings to my feet, and could go atleast forty miles without fatigue, and experiencing a sense ofexhilaration to which I had been an entire stranger since the daysof early youth. About half-past six, however, the grooms began tocome down to air their masters' horses - first one, and thenanother, till there were some dozen horses and five or six riders:but that need not trouble me, for they would not come as far as thelow rocks which I was now approaching. When I had reached these,and walked over the moist, slippery sea-weed (at the risk offloundering into one of the numerous pools of clear, salt waterthat lay between them), to a little mossy promontory with the seasplashing round it, I looked back again to see who next wasstirring. Still, there were only the early grooms with theirhorses, and one gentleman with a little dark speck of a dog runningbefore him, and one water-cart coming out of the town to get waterfor the baths. In another minute or two, the distant bathingmachines would begin to move, and then the elderly gentlemen ofregular habits and sober quaker ladies would be coming to taketheir salutary morning walks. But however interesting such a scenemight be, I could not wait to witness it, for the sun and the seaso dazzled my eyes in that direction, that I could but afford oneglance; and then I turned again to delight myself with the sightand the sound of the sea, dashing against my promontory - with noprodigious force, for the swell was broken by the tangled sea-weedand the unseen rocks beneath; otherwise I should soon have beendeluged with spray. But the tide was coming in; the water wasrising; the gulfs and lakes were filling; the straits werewidening: it was time to seek some safer footing; so I walked,skipped, and stumbled back to the smooth, wide sands, and resolvedto proceed to a certain bold projection in the cliffs, and thenreturn.

Presently, I heard a snuffling sound behind me and then a dog camefrisking and wriggling to my feet. It was my own Snap - the littledark, wire-haired terrier! When I spoke his name, he leapt up inmy face and yelled for joy. Almost as much delighted as himself, Icaught the little creature in my arms, and kissed him repeatedly.But how came he to be there? He could not have dropped from thesky, or come all that way alone: it must be either his master, therat-catcher, or somebody else that had brought him; so, repressingmy extravagant caresses, and endeavouring to repress his likewise,I looked round, and beheld - Mr. Weston!

'Your dog remembers you well, Miss Grey,' said he, warmly graspingthe hand I offered him without clearly knowing what I was about.'You rise early.'

'Not often so early as this,' I replied, with amazing composure,considering all the circumstances of the case.

'How far do you purpose to extend your walk?'

'I was thinking of returning - it must be almost time, I think.'

He consulted his watch - a gold one now - and told me it was onlyfive minutes past seven.

'But, doubtless, you have had a long enough walk,' said he, turningtowards the town, to which I now proceeded leisurely to retrace mysteps; and he walked beside me.

'In what part of the town do you live?' asked he. 'I never coulddiscover.'

Never could discover? Had he endeavoured to do so then? I toldhim the place of our abode. He asked how we prospered in ouraffairs. I told him we were doing very well - that we had had aconsiderable addition to our pupils after the Christmas vacation,and expected a still further increase at the close of this.

'You must be an accomplished instructor,' he observed.

'No, it is my mother,' I replied; 'she manages things so well, andis so active, and clever, and kind.'

'I should like to know your mother. Will you introduce me to hersome time, if I call?'

'Yes, willingly.'

'And will you allow me the privilege of an old friend, of lookingin upon you now and then?'

'Yes, if - I suppose so.'

This was a very foolish answer, but the truth was, I consideredthat I had no right to invite anyone to my mother's house withouther knowledge; and if I had said, 'Yes, if my mother does notobject,' it would appear as if by his question I understood morethan was expected; so, SUPPOSING she would not, I added, 'I supposeso:' but of course I should have said something more sensible andmore polite, if I had had my wits about me. We continued our walkfor a minute in silence; which, however, was shortly relieved (nosmall relief to me) by Mr. Weston commenting upon the brightness ofthe morning and the beauty of the bay, and then upon the advantagesA- possessed over many other fashionable places of resort.

'You don't ask what brings me to A- ' said he. 'You can't supposeI'm rich enough to come for my own pleasure.'

'I heard you had left Horton.'

'You didn't hear, then, that I had got the living of F-?'

F- was a village about two miles distant from A-.

'No,' said I; 'we live so completely out of the world, even here,that news seldom reaches me through any quarter; except through themedium of the - GAZETTE. But I hope you like your new parish; andthat I may congratulate you on the acquisition?'

'I expect to like my parish better a year or two hence, when I haveworked certain reforms I have set my heart upon - or, at least,progressed some steps towards such an achievement. But you maycongratulate me now; for I find it very agreeable to HAVE a parishall to myself, with nobody to interfere with me - to thwart myplans or cripple my exertions: and besides, I have a respectablehouse in a rather pleasant neighbourhood, and three hundred poundsa year; and, in fact, I have nothing but solitude to complain of,and nothing but a companion to wish for.'

He looked at me as he concluded: and the flash of his dark eyesseemed to set my face on fire; greatly to my own discomfiture, forto evince confusion at such a juncture was intolerable. I made aneffort, therefore, to remedy the evil, and disclaim all personalapplication of the remark by a hasty, ill-expressed reply, to theeffect that, if he waited till he was well known in theneighbourhood, he might have numerous opportunities for supplyinghis want among the residents of F- and its vicinity, or thevisitors of A-, if he required so ample a choice: not consideringthe compliment implied by such an assertion, till his answer mademe aware of it.

'I am not so presumptuous as to believe that,' said he, 'though youtell it me; but if it were so, I am rather particular in my notionsof a companion for life, and perhaps I might not find one to suitme among the ladies you mention.'

'If you require perfection, you never will.'

'I do not - I have no right to require it, as being so far fromperfect myself.'

Here the conversation was interrupted by a water-cart lumberingpast us, for we were now come to the busy part of the sands; and,for the next eight or ten minutes, between carts and horses, andasses, and men, there was little room for social intercourse, tillwe had turned our backs upon the sea, and begun to ascend theprecipitous road leading into the town. Here my companion offeredme his arm, which I accepted, though not with the intention ofusing it as a support.

'You don't often come on to the sands, I think,' said he, 'for Ihave walked there many times, both morning and evening, since Icame, and never seen you till now; and several times, in passingthrough the town, too, I have looked about for your school - but Idid not think of the - Road; and once or twice I made inquiries,but without obtaining the requisite information.'

When we had surmounted the acclivity, I was about to withdraw myarm from his, but by a slight tightening of the elbow was tacitlyinformed that such was not his will, and accordingly desisted.Discoursing on different subjects, we entered the town, and passedthrough several streets. I saw that he was going out of his way toaccompany me, notwithstanding the long walk that was yet beforehim; and, fearing that he might be inconveniencing himself frommotives of politeness, I observed - 'I fear I am taking you out ofyour way, Mr. Weston - I believe the road to F- lies quite inanother direction.'

'I'll leave you at the end of the next street,' said he.

'And when will you come to see mamma?'

'To-morrow - God willing.'

The end of the next street was nearly the conclusion of my journey.He stopped there, however, bid me good-morning, and called Snap,who seemed a little doubtful whether to follow his old mistress orhis new master, but trotted away upon being summoned by the latter.

'I won't offer to restore him to you, Miss Grey,' said Mr. Weston,smiling, 'because I like him.'

'Oh, I don't want him,' replied I, 'now that he has a good master;I'm quite satisfied.'

'You take it for granted that I am a good one, then?'

The man and the dog departed, and I returned home, full ofgratitude to heaven for so much bliss, and praying that my hopesmight not again be crushed.