Iv.] THE WITCHES’ ISLAND. 187

 

from it. But where to go to and what to do were
questions which rather puzzled poor Molly Goodchild,
after she had come to the wise conclusion that it would
be well to go somewhere and to do something.

As she stood doubting and wondering upon the
beach, the thought suddenly came into her head that
although she had lost her husband, there could be no
reason why she should lose her supper into the bargain.
If she had been a fine lady, she might possibly have
begun to cry again, and afterwards have refused food,
bathed her head with eau-de-cologne, fainted, gone
into hysterics, or have done something else equally
useless and ridiculous. But, being only a fisherman’s
wife, and withal very hungry after her long walk, she
was by no means ashamed of her appetite and not at
all disposed to refuse to satisfy its cravings. More-
over, to stand out on the beach for any length of
time when the wind was blowing a gale, was not
particularly pleasant to herself, and could do her
husband no good. Wherefore Molly came to the
determination to go back to the cottage and eat her
supper by herself,.and having adopted this sensible
idea, proceeded at once to put it into execution.

I don’t mean to say that she did not regret her hus-
band’s absence, which she certainly did, but it cannot
be denied that it had but little effect upon her appetite.
She ate heartily, drank her beer with a keen relish,
and never cried again until she had quite finished her
meal. Then the tears began to come into her eyes
as she thought of her trouble, and she wondered what
she could possibly do in order to get back her hus-
band. She remembered that there was a large rabbit