“I think, my dear,” said Mr. Merton, laughing, “you must not attach too much importance to that lane, as it may have merely led down to the beach. Besides, even if the Isle of Wight was once attached to the mainland, it must have been a long time ago; as the Romans, who took possession of the Isle of Wight, in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, in the year 45, describe it as an island. However,” he continued, “after all, it is very possible that the Isle of Wight was, at some distant period, united to the mainland, as the soil of which it is composed, being of a chalky nature, is easily soluble in water; and, indeed, the very name of the strait which separates the island from the mainland, and which is called the Solent or Solvent sea, seems to express that it has dissolved the soil which connected it with the mainland.”
“Is that an old name?” asked Mrs. Merton. “I thought the Solent sea had been, comparatively, a modern appellation.”
“It was the common name of the strait before the time of the Venerable Bede,” said Mr. Merton.
Agnes, who began to get a little tired with this conversation, was glad when the carriage stopped at a curious old house, that looked more like an ancient manor-house than an inn; and which in fact was the very house in which Charles II. was entertained in the year 1671, by the gallant admiral, Sir Robert Holme.
“I remember this house well,” said Mrs. Merton; “for I was here with my aunt about fifteen years ago, at the time when a very melancholy calamity had just happened. A collier’s vessel from Newcastle was lying in the roads, when the wife of the captain, who was near her confinement, was taken ill, and sent for a doctor from the town. The only doctor who happened to be at home was an elderly man, very much respected by every body, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, though it well deserves to be remembered. The evening was dark and inclined to be stormy, and this worthy man was advised not to venture out to sea in such weather. However, he was determined to do his duty, and he went. After the little baby was born, he was about to return, but the storm had become more serious, and he determined to remain in the vessel till morning. Unfortunately, however, a dreadful storm arose, and the ship was lost. My aunt and I arrived at Yarmouth the very day after the accident, and we found the whole town in agitation and distress. Every body knew the doctor; every body respected him; and every body was of course distressed at his untimely death. In the kitchen of the inn were three or four sailors, who had been saved by clinging to the rigging. I forget how many hours they had been in this state; but I remember well that when I saw them, their arms, which were being rubbed to restore circulation, were quite black, and so benumbed that they could not use them.”
“I remember your mentioning the circumstance before,” said Mr. Merton, “and I am not surprised at the impression it made on you.”
“Yes,” said Mrs. Merton, “it is one thing to read of shipwrecks, and of sailors clinging to the rigging for hours, and another to see the poor creatures who have undergone such dreadful sufferings.”
Having now satisfied their curiosity with all that was to be seen at Yarmouth, they re-entered the carriage and proceeded to Freshwater.
On the road they saw so many beautiful wild flowers that Agnes begged permission to walk a little way, that she might gather some. There was the beautiful blue Scabious, the yellow Ragwort, and a bright pink Lychnis. In one place there was a mass of Ground Ivy, growing so luxuriantly as to look like a garden flower; and when Agnes brought some of this to the carriage, her papa told her it belonged to the order of the Labiatæ or lipped plants, and made her observe the shape of the flower, and how completely it is double-lipped, the lower lip being more than twice the size of the upper one. Then Agnes found a plant with small leaves like the Trefoil, and curiously coiled-up seed pods, which she said looked like snails, or hedge-hogs. This Mr. Merton told her was called the Spotted Medick, and that its curious pod was, in fact, a legume like that of the pea.
