78 THE HALL OF SHELLS. 
But all were not content with this quiet 
island life. There was one, a youth, who 
heard strange voices in his soul, luring him 
away from this httle anchorage. The great 
world, that drew him with a power he could 
not resist, prepared a bark for him she called, 
and he went out, not knowing whither he 
went. 
At last, in the far south seas, his heart 
bade him tear from its briny fastness an un- 
known seaweed whose beauty attracted him 
strangely. He had sailed far for this unknown 
plant. 
As our hearts prompt us to bestow upon 
our best beloved the most beautiful gifts at 
our command, so the heart of this man, who 
was performing a mission, though he knew it 
not, bade him carry this trophy of his voyage 
to a maiden who waited in far Burano. 
With the utmost care he preserved the deli- 
cate Alga, and after weeks long and many of 
weary sailing, he laid the plant, perfect and 
beautiful, in the hand of the waiting maiden. 
But, alas! there came a day when the treas- 
ure began to fade; and the maiden saw that, 
notwithstanding her greatest effort, her gift 
must perish. The same spirit that prompted 
to its gathering inspired the little fisherwoman. 
