Every now and then, the vessel would come to an anchor in the bay of the little coast town of Sandyseal, to accommodate friends going and coming and (in spite of medical advice) to receive letters.

"You may have heard of Sandyseal," the Captain wrote, "as one of the places which have lately been found out by the doctors.
They are recommending the air to patients suffering from nervous disorders all over England.

The one hotel in the place, and the few cottages which let lodgings, are crammed, as I hear, and the speculative builder is beginning his operations at such a rate that Sandyseal will be no longer recognizable in a few months more.

Before the crescents and terraces and grand hotels turn the town into a fashionable watering-place, I want to take a last look at scenes familiar to me under their old aspect.

If you are inclined to wonder at my feeling such a wish as this, I can easily explain myself.