as black as jet.

"Just like those silhouettes Aunt Jo cut out for us," declared Rose.
"Did you ever see anything so cute?"

Russ didn't have much to say about it. He was very grave again. Bedtime
came, and the brother and sister went below. The little folks, Margy
and Mun Bun, were in the first stateroom with Mother. Already the twins
were fast asleep in the second stateroom. Rose was going to sleep with
Vi in the lower berth and Russ was to crawl in beside Laddie in the
upper.

But Russ did not seem in a hurry to undress and go to bed. Mother
brushed Rose's hair for her and the girl got ready for bed in the larger
stateroom. When she went into the other room there was Russ sitting on
the stool with only his jacket off.

"Why, Russ Bunker! aren't you going to bed to-night?" demanded Rose.

"I suppose so," admitted Russ.

"Well, you'd better hurry. I want you to put out the light. How do you
suppose we can sleep?"

Russ reached up and snapped out the electric bulb as Rose threw aside
her bath-gown and hopped into bed beside her sister.

"You can't see to undress in the dark, Russ," scolded Rose.

Russ did not say a word. He got up and walked into his mother's and
father's stateroom, and greatly to his sister's vexation he closed the
door between the two rooms.

Daddy Bunker had just come in.

"Why, Russ," said he, "haven't you gone to bed yet?"

"No, sir," said Russ. "And I guess I can't. I've got to talk to you
first. I guess I can't go to sleep till I've told you something."

Daddy smiled at Mother Bunker but nodded to Russ.

"All right," he said. "We will go out on deck again and take a turn up
and down and you shall tell me all about it."

Mother made no objection, although the hour was getting late, and she
smiled, too, when she saw Russ slip into his jacket again and follow his
father out of the stateroom. On the deck Russ burst out with:

"I promised I wouldn't tell anybody. But when I gave him his supper I
told him I'd just have to tell my father, I was afraid; and he said he
didn't have any father and he didn't know whether fathers wouldn't
'snitch,' and I said my father wouldn't."

"I see," said Mr. Bunker gravely. "You recommended me as being a safe
person to trust a secret with. I am glad you did so."

"Yes, sir. For you see he's got to be fed until we get to Charleston."

"Do you mind telling me who this new friend of yours is, and where he
is, and why he must be fed?"

"He's a sail