intervals, and now and then a flight of stairs leading down to the water.

The water on each side of the pier grew gradually more and more shallow toward the land, and in one place the boys were astonished to see some carts standing in it alongside a vessel, and taking coal from the vessel to haul to the land. The wheels of these carts were more than half submerged, and the legs and about one third of the bodies of the horses were also under water.

At length the party came to the end of the pier and all passed through a sort of toll gate with a toll house upon one side where there was a toll to pay of so much for each trunk and so much for each passenger. There was a great crowd of people outside waiting to see the passengers by the steamer come from the pier. There was a large open space here and a very handsome hotel facing it, with coaches that were about setting off to various parts of the Island Over the principal entrance of the hotel was inscribed in large letters the name PIER HOTEL.

CHAPTER IX.

A WALK AT RYDE.

THE hotel, as will be seen by the engraving in the last chapter, was delightfully situated just at the head of the pier. The housekeeper gave Mrs. Morelle and her party a suite of rooms on the second floor, looking out over the water. One of these rooms was a nice little parlor, which opened out upon one of the balconies which you see in the engraving on the side of the hotel facing the sea. This balcony, of course, commanded a charming view of the pier, of the anchorage at Spithead and all the ships lying in it, and also of the whole range of the coast of England beyond.

John was out upon this piazza within five minutes after he came into the room, and he could not be satisfied until his mother and Florence came out. They were both enchanted, not only with the extent, but also with the life and beauty of the view. By looking southward along the coast they could see the towers of

the royal villa at Osborne rising up among the trees.

You can see these towers in the engraving. They appear faintly in the horizon, in the distance toward the right, not far from the point of land which terminates the view in that direction. Cowes is round beyond that point of land, and you see in the engraving a steamer coming from Cowes to Ryde.

By looking through a glass Grimkie could. make out a flag flying from the flagstaff on one of the towers of Osborne.

"Look, Florence, look!" said Grimkie, giving Florence the glass. "There's the flag flying, and that shows that the queen is at Osborne

now."

Mrs. Morelle soon took the glass to look at the flag, and also to get a nearer view of the towers. She said she thought that the view which the queen had from her palace must be much the same as that which they enjoyed from their hotel.

"It can't be so good, mother," said Florence, "for there is no pier for her. The pier is the best part of the view here, especially when the steamers are going out and coming in, for then it is full of people and carriages."

Mrs. Morelle soon went back from the bal

cony into the parlor, saying that she must go into her bedroom and prepare for dinner.

"How long are we to stay at this hotel, Florence ?" said she.

"That is just as you please, mother," said Florence. "We can stay here, or we can take lodgings or we need not remain in Ryde at all unless we like, but can go on to some of the other places."

"I leave it all to you," said Mrs. Morelle. "You have arranged it very nicely thus far, and I have had a very pleasant time; and I have no doubt you will arrange it just as well in time to

come."

"But you might give us your advice," said Florence.

"Well," said Mrs. Morelle, "I will. And I advise you if you can find any pleasanter rooms than these, and a finer view, in lodgings anywhere, to take them."

"We will go and take a walk by and by, Florence," said Grimkie, "and see."

Mrs. Morelle said that she would not take a walk herself that day, but would remain in her rooms till dinner time, and the children might do as they pleased. So she went into her berlroom. There she found her trunk unstrapped and placed upon a trunk-stand, at a convenient.

height to give her easy access to the interior of it without stooping.

There was a very nicely dressed and pretty looking chambermaid in the room, ready to wait upon Mrs. Morelle, and Grimkie, after unlocking her trunk, left her in the chambermaid's charge, and he and Florence and John went out to take a walk and see the town.

As they came out upon the broad open space in front of the hotel they saw before them a wide road extending along the shore, with a low stone wall on one side, toward the sea, and a range of splendid houses, with gardens before them, on the other. There was a very spacious sidewalk or promenade between the carriage road and the wall, with seats here and there which commanded fine views of the sea. This was what was called the Esplanade.

The children walked a little way on in this direction, and then at Florence's suggestion they concluded to go back and find a street leading up the hill through the heart of the town.

"I want to see what there is in the shopwindows," said she.

"And besides that," she added, "we must look out for lodgings. Mother said she would like to go into lodgings, in case we could find any pleasanter place."