is quite useless to attempt the devising of plans
until the other two return with intelligence; _then_, indeed, we will
see what can be done. And it shall go hard but we will rescue them
somehow. Where did you leave Mrs Gaunt?"

"In her own room on her knees, praying for her lost ones; it is all she
can do, poor soul. Ah! the dear child is reviving at last, is she not,
dear?"

"Yes, yes," answered Henderson hurriedly. "Now reach me that glass of
medicine from the table. Thanks. Here, Lucille, my dear, drink this,
little one, it will do you good."

A faint tinge of returning colour had at length appeared in the child's
pale cheeks and lips. This had been succeeded by a-fluttering sigh or
two, and then her eyes had opened suddenly with a look of terror, which
had given place to one of joy and relief as she recognised her father
and mother bending over her. Upon which Henderson had gently raised her
and promptly administered the draught which he had prepared.

Presently the little creature spoke. "Oh, mamma," she exclaimed,
looking somewhat wildly about her, "is it morning; is it time to get up?
I have had such a dreadful dream--"

"There; never mind your dream, dear; forget all about it, and try to go
to sleep again," said Mrs Henderson soothingly; "it is not quite time
to get up yet."

"Yes; go to sleep again like a good girl," agreed Henderson; "but you
can tell us your dream first, dear, if you very much wish to do so. You
forget," he added in an undertone to his wife; "she may be able to throw
a great deal of light upon the state of affairs, and afford us
information of the last importance. What was your dream, darling?"

"Oh," began the child, "I dreamt that we--Mr Gaunt and Percy and I, you
know--had been to the beach gathering shells; and as we were coming back
in the boat a great ship suddenly came round the corner, full of ugly,
wicked men; and they fired guns at us, and one of them hit Mr Gaunt,
for I saw the blood running down his face. And then they came after us
in a boat, and were quite near us when we reached the creek; and then
Mr Gaunt told Percy and me to run home as fast as ever we could; and he
took one of the boat's oars and got out and stood on the beach, and
looked as if he was going to fight the men. So Percy took my hand, and
we ran--oh, ever so fast; and I looked round and saw Mr Gaunt fighting
all the men with the oar; and then we turned a corner, and I felt tired
and wanted