Beryl's Triumph by Eglanton Thorne

ON hearing the news which Andrew brought, Mr. Hollys hastened into the hall, and, putting on his travelling coat and cap, prepared to go out into the stormy night.

"Papa," said Beryl's voice by his side, "do let me go with you, and see the ship."

"Nonsense, child," returned her father hastily; "you could not stand on the beach in such a storm as this. No, no; you must not think of it."

"Oh yes, papa, I could stand against the wind," persisted Beryl; "I am sure I could. You do not know how strong I am."

But Mr. Hollys was firm. "No, no, child, it will not do; I cannot think of it," he said. "But I tell you what you may do, Beryl. You can get Lucy to take you into the garden. You will see the ship from there, I have no doubt."

And with this, Beryl had to be content.

Lucy was anxious herself to see what was happening, and made no objection to taking Beryl into the garden. The garden lay in front of the house, reaching to the beach, and was comparatively a sheltered spot, for a high, strong wall, protected it from any possible danger from wind or wave. At the bottom of the garden there was a door made in the wall, from which a flight of stone steps led down to the beach, giving Beryl easy access to the water when she wanted to bathe, for at high tide the waves broke over the lowest step. As another convenience for bathers, a garden-house had been built close to this door. It consisted of a lower and an upper room, and as the window of the upper room rose above the wall, and overlooked the whole sweep of the bay, it formed a fine observatory.

In this house Lucy and Beryl took refuge from the wind, which even in the garden was felt as far too rough, as it beat in their faces, laden with the cold sea-spray. Soon they were joined by some of the other servants, and the whole party gazed anxiously from the windows; but for a long time they could distinguish nothing save a heaving mass of blackness, over which swept the furious blasts.

Presently Beryl cried, "Lucy, I can see a light! There, far away to the right, beyond Sheldon Point. Don't you see it?"

"Yes, I think I do," said Lucy, peering into the dark. "Ah, and there is that gun again! It sounds a long way off."

"The light is moving! " cried Beryl. "I can see it quite plainly. It is moving towards us."

"Ah, poor souls, the Lord have mercy upon them! " exclaimed Lucy, clasping her hands in despair. "The wind is driving them straight upon the rocks below Sheldon Point."

"What do you mean, Lucy? What will happen to them? " asked Beryl.

"Why, Miss Beryl, the ship will break in pieces if it strikes on those rocks, and they will all go down," replied Lucy. "There is scarce a hope for any of them, poor souls."

"But surely they can be saved; they must be saved! " cried Beryl passionately. "The men will get out the lifeboat. Papa will see that they do something."

"The lifeboat would be of no use amongst those rocks, I fear," said Lucy, "even if they could launch it in such weather as this. The fishermen's lives are as dear as the lives of those on board that ship. They have wives and children to live for."

"Oh, Lucy, I will never say again that I like storms," said Beryl remorsefully. "Oh, I hope the ship will be saved!"

"I remember, many years ago, when I was a little girl, there was a vessel struck on those rocks," said Lucy, "and all on board her were drowned, though there were over a hundred of them."

"How dreadful! " said Beryl, with a shiver, as she watched the light drifting nearer and nearer to the deadly peril of the rocks.

Meanwhile, at the extremity of the beach where Sheldon Point ran out grim and sharp into the sea, a crowd of fisher-folk had gathered, and were watching with grief and horror the oncome of the doomed vessel.