only where at that moment she might be, but what a child she still was,
and yet in how few years--as few as two or three--she would be a woman,
might be a bride.

But soon a bride or never, the boat was full of matters only less
remarkable and he gently let the girl out of his thought by looking
behind him. The windows of the captain's room--between the
chimneys--front room of the texas--gave shining evidence that somewhere
the captain was yet astir. From the rayless pilot-house above it faint
notes of speech showed that some one was up there with the pilot, but at
the same time a near-by tread drew Hugh to his feet with quick pleasure
and again his father stood before him, looking at the lights of the
_Antelope_, a few hundred yards ahead.

"She'll soon be astern," said Hugh.

"We can't keep her so," replied the captain, accepting his chair. "We
must land too often. Where's your crony?"

"The commodore? He's turned in." After a pause--"Father, you've shipped
a lot of trouble."

"Yes," was the light response, "counting Hayle's twins."

"I wish you'd give me full charge of them."

"Do you?" laughed the father. "Take it. You hear them, don't you?"

They were easy to hear, down on the forward freight deck, dancing round
a bottle of liquor, and----

"Singing 'Gideon's Band,'" said Hugh listening.

"Yes," said the amused captain, "after pledging me on their honor to go
straight to bed." Hugh started away so abruptly that his father asked:
"Where are you bound?"

"I'm going to send them to bed."

"Both of them?" smilingly asked the captain.

"Yes, both."

"Not both at once?"

"Yes, both at once. Do you know where their sister is?"

"Why, abed and asleep long ago, is she not?"

"I don't know," said Hugh, going; "I doubt it."

On his way he glanced about for her. Taking charge of the twins seemed
logically to involve a care of her. Where the mother was he knew. Down
in the after parts of the lower deck, between the ceaseless torrents of
the wheels, most of the people from overseas had spread their beds
wherever they might, while in one small place apart some five or six lay
smitten with the deadly contagion, two or three in agony, one or two in
painless collapse, under the unskilled, heartbroken care of a few
terrified kindred. There, by stealth at first and by the captain's
helpless leave when he found her there, attended by a colored man and
maid from the cabin service, was Madame Hayle, ministering, n