Alone on the sands of the bar Anne gave herself up to the eerie charm of the night . It was warm for September , and the late afternoon had been very foggy ; but a full moon had in part lessened the fog and transformed the harbor and the gulf and the surrounding shores into a strange , fantastic , unreal world of pale silver mist , through which everything loomed phantom-like . Captain Josiah Crawford 's black schooner sailing down the channel , laden with potatoes for Bluenose ports , was a spectral ship bound for a far uncharted land , ever receding , never to be reached . The calls of unseen gulls overhead were the cries of the souls of doomed seamen . The little curls of foam that blew across the sand were elfin things stealing up from the sea-caves . The big , round-shouldered sand-dunes were the sleeping giants of some old northern tale . The lights that glimmered palely across the harbor were the delusive beacons on some coast of fairyland . Anne pleased herself with a hundred fancies as she wandered through the mist . It was delightful -- romantic -- mysterious to be roaming here alone on this enchanted shore . But was she alone ? Something loomed in the mist before her -- took shape and form -- suddenly moved towards her across the wave-rippled sand . `` Leslie ! '' exclaimed Anne in amazement . `` Whatever are you doing -- HERE -- tonight ? '' `` If it comes to that , whatever are YOU doing here ? '' said Leslie , trying to laugh . The effort was a failure . She looked very pale and tired ; but the love locks under her scarlet cap were curling about her face and eyes like little sparkling rings of gold . `` I 'm waiting for Gilbert -- he 's over at the Cove . I intended to stay at the light , but Captain Jim is away . ''
`` Well , I came here because I wanted to walk -- and walk -- and WALK , '' said XXXXX restlessly .
Anne Bluenose Gilbert Jim Leslie beacons fairyland gulls night stealing