she began to sob as though her heart would break.

"Oh, Jasper Begg, how I have suffered, how I have suffered!" said she,
between her sobs; and what could I do, what could any man do who would
kiss the ground a woman walks upon but has no right or title to? Why,
hold his tongue, of course, though it hurt him cruelly to do any such
thing.

"Miss Ruth," said I, very foolish, "please don't think of that now. I'm
here to help you, the ship's here, we're waiting for you to go aboard."

She dried her tears and tried to look up at me with a smile.

"Oh, I'm just a child, just a child again, Jasper," cries she; "a year
ago I thought myself a woman, but that's all passed. And I shall never
go away on your ship, Jasper Begg--never, never. I shall die on Ken's
Island as so many have died."

I stood up at this and pointed to the clock.

"Little friend," I said, "if you'll put a cloak about your shoulders
and leave this house with me I'll have you safe aboard the Southern
Cross in twenty minutes by that clock, as God is my witness."

It was no boast--for that I could have done as any seaman knows; and
you may well imagine that I stood as a man struck dumb when I had her
answer.

"Why, yes," she said, "you could put me on board your boat, Captain
Jasper, if every step I took was not watched; if every crag had not its
sentinel; if there were not a hundred to say 'Go back--go back to your
home.' Oh, how can you know, how can you guess the things I fear and
dread in this awful place? You, perhaps, because the ship is waiting
will be allowed to return to it again. But I, never, never again to my
life's end."

A terrible look crossed her face as she said this, and with one swift
movement she opened a drawer in the locker where she did her writing,
and took from it a little book which she thrust, like a packet, into my
hands.

"Read," she said, with startling earnestness, "read that when you are
at sea again. I never thought that any other eyes but mine would see
it; but you, Jasper, you shall read it. It will tell you what I myself
could never tell. Read it as you sail away from here, and then say how
you will come back to help the woman who needs your help so sorely."

I thrust the book into my pocket, but was not to be put off like that.

"Read it I will, every line," said I; "but you don't suppose that
Jasper Begg is about to sail away and leave you in this plight, Miss
Ruth! He'd be a pretty sort of Englishman to do tha