Chapter VIII: 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."

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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