I said to Miss Ruth in a whisper;
"that's something to be glad about!"

She passed the remark by and, seating herself in a chair, she buried
her face in her hands. I could hear her muttering "God help them--God
help them!" and I knew that she spoke of those dying out on the
dangerous reef. For the time being she seemed to have forgotten my
presence; but, after a spell, she looked up suddenly and answered the
question.

"Yes," she said; "my husband will be on the yacht. He has not the
courage to be anywhere else. You and I are quite alone now, Jasper."

My fingers closed tight about my seaman's cap, and I went to the door
and unlocked it. Strong and clear in my head, and not to be denied, was
something which seemed to set my brain on fire. "My God," I said, "what
does it mean?" Was it chance or madness that I should pass it by?

"There would be men below at the furnaces and others standing to
guard," I put it to her; "how many in all do you make out that a man
might chance to meet if he went below just now, Miss Ruth?"

She became very calm at the words, I thought, and stood up that she
might take my words more readily.

"Jasper!" she exclaimed, "what are you going to do, Jasper?"

"God knows," said I. "Tell me how many men there are in this house."

She stood and thought about it. The flushed face told the story of her
hopes. Neither of us would speak all that came leaping to our tongues.

"There would be five, I think, in the engine-house and six for the
guards," she said, and I could almost see her counting them; "the lower
gate is the second in the corridor. There is a ladder there, and--oh,
Jasper, what do you mean?" she asked again.

"Mean?" said I; "why this: that it is time my shipmates shared your
hospitality. Aye, we'll bring them along," says I, "Seth Barker and the
others. And then," says I, coming quite close to her, "the luck being
with us, we'll shut the doors. Do you say there are two of them?"

She said that there were two; one for the men, a small gate on the
reef; the other for Czerny--they called it the great gate. "And, oh,"
she cried, while her very gladness seemed to thrill me through--"oh, if
you could, if you could, Jasper--!"

"Whether I can or no the night will prove," said I, more quietly than
before. "One thing is sure, Miss Ruth, that I am going to try. It's
worth the trying, indeed it is. Do you find your own room and know
nothing at all about it. The work below is men's work,