It came quite near--it flew slowly and gracefully round the ship--two or three times, it circled round and round, and at last alighted on the rigging.

There it rested, till, as the sunlight quite faded away and the distant line of land disappeared, it took flight again and vanished in the darkness.
Perhaps the strong elasticity of youth and hope in Lucia's nature had only waited for some chance touch to set it free, and make it spring up vigorously after its repression.

At any rate she found a fanciful omen in the visit of the snow-white bird; and began to believe that in the new country and the new life, there might be as much that was good and happy as in the old one.

The last hours, full of excitement and impatience as the voyage drew to a close, were not unpleasant ones.

Very early one morning a great commotion and a babel of unusual sounds on deck awoke the travellers, and the stewardess going from room to room brought the welcome news, "We are at Havre." Lucia was up in a moment.