Grace Darling Part 21

And see, we have brought nine persons from the rock."

"And saved nine lives!" exclaimed Mrs. Darling.

"That depends a little upon your nursing, mother. We have taken them from the rocks, but they are in a most deplorable condition," said Grace.

They were indeed; but the hospitable lighthouse-home was ready to receive them, and thither they were all conveyed.

At first, they were so hungry and tired, so bruised and broken, that they could not talk much. Besides, they had--many of them, at least--lost their friends and personal belongings, and were feeling sad and miserable enough. But Grace, though her limbs must have been aching, and she must have felt weary and exhausted, began to minister to their wants as soon as they were safely in her father's house; and for the next three days and three nights she found plenty of delightful occupation in soothing their sorrow, and nursing them back to health and strength. As these returned, the survivors became more and more conscious of the great debt which they owed to Grace Darling. They told her what their feelings were when they saw the boat coming toward them, and Grace herself, like an angel of mercy, in it. And Mrs.

Darling explained that, but for Grace, their rescue would not have been attempted, since even the brave heart of her husband failed before the awful possibilities of venturing on such a sea with only two pair of hands. How must they, who owed their lives to the undaunted heroism of the kindly maiden, have loved and almost worshipped her, as they saw her moving, in most beautiful simplicity and modest unostentation, among them in her own home!

As for Grace; it may safely be said that she did not know that she had done anything at all remarkable until the world told her so. It is almost certain that she did it because she could not help it. We are sure that it did not enter into her mind to suppose that she was performing a deed of heroism for which all mankind would bless and laud her memory. She simply could not know of her fellow creatures in peril, without attempting to rescue them. Their sorrows and distresses found a ready echo in her own heart, and she must almost have wished for wings that she might fly at once to their succour.

And the maiden had her reward long before her deed of heroism had been published in the papers, and brought upon her the thanks and praises of the whole land. In the quiet recesses of her girl's loving heart there was great joy that night. She did not care whether or not anybody heard of her or her deeds. Nine persons had been saved from a watery grave through her strong persistance and courage. Nine lives were saved for usefulness and pleasure. Perhaps nine homes were preserved from sorrow and darkness, because an intrepid girl had ventured out upon the stormy sea. And as she thought of this, it was in no spirit of boasting, but rather in that of thankful humility, which drew her down to her knees, while she offered her devout prayer to G.o.d who had thus prospered her work. And surely, to complete her joy, there must have come to her before-hand the loving words of Him whose example Grace Darling had but copied. Did not the Master of all faithful souls come to "seek and to save that which was lost?" And would not He say to her, "Well done, good and faithful servant," and of her, "She hath done what she could?"

We cannot but praise her. Knowing what epithets of adulation were lavished upon her, we yet cannot help feeling that she deserved all the honest commendation which she received. It was a sublime deed of heroism; a splendid example of womanly unselfishness and love. That a timid girl should thus brave danger, by cleaving her way through the seas which she had thus grave reason to fear, with none but her father by her side, was indeed a matchless achievement. Grace Darling forgot herself, or she could not have done it. And she showed, on that day, how weakness can become strong, and timidity courageous; and it is little wonder, indeed, that even the cold world should have been stirred to give her most loyal admiration and praise.

Long, very long, indeed, may it be before the memory of the gallant deed shall die out! May hundreds of thousands of girls, alike in humble or lofty positions, be taught by it to be self-forgetful, brave, and eager to save others. And may many n.o.ble Englishwomen arise who shall have reason to thank G.o.d for the lesson which they learnt from the life of the heroine of the Farne Isles, Grace Darling!

It may be that to those who read these pages such an opportunity as that afforded to the lighthouse-maiden may never come. But none the less does every woman's life need the same qualities that she possessed; for courage, intrepidity, self-forgetfulness, and tender sympathy for the suffering, are the needs of each day.

"The trivial round, the common task, Will furnish all we ought to ask: Room to deny ourselves--a road To bring us daily nearer G.o.d."

And it is those who cultivate these higher qualities that will have presence of mind when any emergency arises to do promptly the very best that can be done. Only let our women simply do their duty, looking to Heaven for guidance, and if they are not Grace Darlings, they will be as true and good, and perhaps almost as useful as she.

CHAPTER XIII.

AFTER THE EVENT.

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

"She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

"She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

"Strength and honour are her clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come.

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

"Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

"Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

"Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."--Solomon.

It was not possible for Grace to carry out the Scriptural injunction, and not let her right hand know what her left hand did, for no sooner was the account of the wreck published in the newspapers, than the most intense excitement was created, and a whole stream of admiration and praise set in the direction of the lighthouse-girl. Such an occurrence would naturally arouse the enthusiasm of our countrymen and countrywomen, who would consider that they could not too strongly express their feelings of delight.

All thoughts were immediately turned to the wreck, and great interest was felt in the survivors. Inquiries were at once made, in order to ascertain the number of those who were lost in the "Forfarshire." It was not possible to do so, however, for no entries had been made at the time of embarkation, so that it was never certainly known how many had perished. It was supposed that the pa.s.sengers numbered more than fifty, and the crew about twenty. Many of the sufferers were Scotch, and some came from a long distance. One gentleman lost his wife, son and grandson; another his mother and brother. The captain, and his wife, as has been already stated, were both drowned.

Many people visited the wreck, some from curiosity and some because they had a good purpose in view. The wreck consisted of the forecastle, part of the engine, paddle-wheels, anchor, cable, foremast, and rigging. Two of the boilers were broken on the rock, and the others were washed out to sea. Search was made for the missing bodies, with partial success; but the cargo, which was of great value, could not be restored. Parts of the wreck were brought by the waves to different places, such as Hauxley, Amble, Hartley, and other parts of Northumberland. The fishermen and revenue officers made every effort, and rendered all possible a.s.sistance, but nothing of much value could be recovered.

While this was going on, the Longstone lighthouse became the centre of a marvellous fascination to thousands of people. The story of the girl going out in the boat over a stormy sea, and succeeding in saving a number of lives that were in jeopardy, thrilled the hearts of all who read, and made them eager to know more of the wonder. Nor was simple curiosity all that was excited. It was felt that such a deed deserved most substantial reward, and a public subscription was at once set on foot. To this the bank-notes and gold of the wealthy, the silver of the middle cla.s.ses, and the coppers of the poor, were willingly given; and in a short s.p.a.ce of time Grace was presented with the splendid sum of 700 pounds.

"The Royal Humane Society" could not allow such an act to pa.s.s by without notice, but forwarded a very expressive and flattering vote of thanks to her. As if this were not enough, the President of the Society presented her with a very handsome silver teapot, in generous acknowledgment of her service. Money, indeed, flowed in as well as congratulation and praises. From Sunderland a cheque was sent by Mr.

Kidson; and we are able to give Grace's reply:--

"_To Mr. Kidson, Sutherland._

"Kind Sir--I acknowledge the receipt of yours of yesterday, with the cheque for 15 pounds, 2 shillings, for which I trust you will return my sincere thanks to the subscribers. At the same time, I should feel much additional gratification if you could, without much trouble, send me the names of the same, which I wish to preserve.

"I remain, Sir, "Your very obliged servant, "G. H. DARLING.

"Longstone Light, January 22nd, 1839."

At Newcastle, as was only to be expected, the greatest enthusiasm prevailed, and in that town alone the sum subscribed reached the amount of 280 pounds, 10 shillings, 3 pence. Of this Grace herself received 160 pounds, while a present of 58 pounds was made to her father, and 35 pounds to the North Sunderland boatmen.

A statement of the amount of subscriptions having been forwarded to her in a letter, Grace was so affected by the perusal of its contents, that, as she noted the sympathising language in which it was couched, she shed tears of pleasure so exquisite as are rarely shed by mortals.

In the reply, after expressing, in natural and unstudied language, the grateful sense entertained by her of the kindness of her friends in that town, she solicited the names of the subscribers. It was only natural she should wish to know and preserve them, for they were those of her really warm friends and admirers. This request was unhesitatingly complied with, and the sheet has been carefully preserved in the lighthouse, where we suppose it may still be seen.

Amongst the list occur the Trinity House, the Corporation, T. E.

Headlam, Esq., (that year mayor), Richard Clayton, Matthew Bell, M.P., George Hawks, Joseph Cowen, and a great many others.

An additional pleasure, as gratifying as any previously received, was the following letter, addressed by the hero of Navarino to the Editor of the "Sun":--

"SIR--As I do not know where to send the enclosed subscription for Grace Darling, I shall feel obliged by your forwarding it to the committee.

"I earnestly hope that the amount collected may be commensurate with the extraordinary deserts of that heroic girl, whose conduct in such a perilous and almost hopeless undertaking, does honour to humanity.--I remain, &c.

"E. CODRINGTON."

"The Royal National Inst.i.tution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck" voted the silver medal of the Inst.i.tution to Mr. Darling and his daughter, and also subscribed the sum of 10 pounds in aid of the Darling Fund.

The Directors of the "Glasgow Humane Society" sent to Grace their honorary medal, to mark the high sense entertained by them of her meritorious conduct. It bears the following inscription:--

"Presented by the Glasgow Humane Society to Miss Grace Horsley Darling, in admiration of her dauntless and heroic conduct in saving (along with her father) the lives of nine persons from the wreck of the 'Forfarshire' Steamer, 7th September, 1838."

The money was most freely and lavishly contributed, every one appearing to feel it an honour to testify their appreciation of the heroism and simple courage of Grace Darling in every conceivable way. His Grace, the Duke of Northumberland, exhibited a very kindly interest in all that was being done, not only giving a handsome subscription towards the testimonial himself, but taking charge of the moneys that were collected. Nor did his kindness end even here; for with a sincere desire that the greatest possible advantage should be gained from the contributions of the public to the maiden for whom they were sent, he advised her as to the best means of disposing of the sums.

If she had chosen, Grace might have made very considerable profit out of the deed. Of course, her portrait was taken, and copies of it sold with astonishing rapidity. Pictures were painted and printed, and the members of every household appeared to wish to possess one. Seeing the furore which the girl had excited, one enterprising manager of a theatre conceived the idea of having the occurrence represented on the stage, and offered her 800 pounds for merely sitting in a boat, so that all eyes might see her. She, however, was too modest a girl to take delight in anything of the kind. "She was glad to have saved lives at the risk of her own," she declared, "and would most willingly do it again if opportunity should occur, but she could not feel that she had done anything great; and certainly she did not wish for the praise that was bestowed upon her. As to going to the theatre to receive the plaudits of a curious crowd, that was the last thing she desired!"

She was very nearly being caught in a trap however, which was rather cleverly laid for her. When receiving congratulations and being interviewed was the order of the day, and therefore excited no suspicion, a stranger came to the lighthouse, who announced himself as a friend of Mr. Batty, the proprietor of an equestrian circus, which was then exhibiting at Edinburgh. Mr. Batty had given an entertainment for the benefit of Grace, and had thereby brought an overflowing audience to his theatre. The stranger who came was welcomed as usual by the Darlings, who gave him all the hospitable attentions that were in their power, as indeed was their custom. They could not help being pleased with him, for his manners were courteous, his conversation lively, and he evidently had a great desire to ingratiate himself into their favour. He held frequent talks with Grace, whom he flattered warmly, though so respectfully that he did not give offence, and after a time he contrived to insinuate a hint of his plan.

"The people of Edinburgh admire you exceedingly, Miss Darling. I cannot imagine anything that would give them greater pleasure than to see you, if you would visit their beautiful city."

"I should like to see it very much, but I do not care to be looked at by the curious eyes of strangers," said Grace.

"Indeed, if the people are strangers, they would be more friendly than curious, and you know how sincere is their admiration of your heroic act," said the man.

"I know they are much more kind than I deserve; and really I am not sure but that it would make me happy to shake the hands of some of them who are, though I have never seen them, my friends."