e whole village was eying the boss on his way to spark a
stenog. His little love-affair was as clandestine as Lady Godiva's
famous bareback ride.

He cut his call short after an age-long half-hour of enduring the
ridicule twinkling in Mamise's eyes. He stayed just late enough for it
to get dark enough to conceal his return through that street. He was
furious at the situation and at Mamise for teasing him so. But she
became all the dearer for her elusiveness.

CHAPTER IV

After the novelty of the joke wore off Mamise grew as uncomfortable as
he. She was beginning to love him more and her job less. But she was
determined not to throw away her independence. Pride was her duenna,
and a ruthless one. She tried to feed her pride on her ambition and on
an occasional visit to the ship that was to wear her name.

She met Sutton, the prima donna riveter. He was always clattering away
like a hungry woodpecker, but he always had time to stop and discuss
his art with her.

Once or twice he let her try the riveter--the "gun," he called it; but
her thumb was not strong enough to hold the trigger against that
hundred-and-fifty-pound pressure per square inch.

One day Marie Louise came on Jake Nuddle and Sutton in a wrangle. She
caught enough of the parley to know that Jake was sneering at Sutton's
waste of energy and enthusiasm, his long hours and low pay. Sutton
earned a very substantial income, but all pay was low pay to Jake, who
was spreading the gospel of sabotage through the shipyard.

Meanwhile the good ship _Clara_, weaned from the dock, floated in the
basin and received her equipment. And at last the day came when she
was ready for her trial trip.

That morning the smoke rolled from her funnels in a twisted skein.
What had once been ore in many a mine, and trees in many a forest, had
become an individual, as what has been vegetables and fruits and the
flesh of animals becomes at last a child with a soul, a name, a fate.

It was impossible to think now that the _Clara_ was merely an iron box
with an engine to push it about. _Clara_ was somebody, a personality,
a lovable, whimsical, powerful creature. She was "she" to everybody.
And at last one morning she kicked up her heels and took a long white
bone in her teeth and went her ways.

The next day _Clara_ came back. There was something about her manner
of sweeping into the bay, about the proud look of her as she came to a
halt, that convinced all the watchers