c, in a broken voice.

Margot shook her head, and looked sadder than over.

Tears came to Zac's eyes. He felt as he had never felt before. There
was something so inexpressibly touching about this orphan! He took
her little hand tenderly in his own great, brown, toil-worn fist, and
looked at her very wistfully. For a few moments he said nothing.
Margot looked up at him with her great brown eyes, and then looked
meekly at the deck. Zac heaved a deep sigh; then he placed his
disengaged hand solemnly upon her head.

"Wal," said he, gravely, "I'll protect you. Ef anybody ever harms
you, you jest come to me. I'll--I'll be--a father to you."

Again Margot looked up at him with her great brown eyes.

"O, dat's noting," she said. "I don't want you to be my fader. But,
all de same, I tink you one very nice man; an' you safe my life; an'
I sall not forget--nevare; an' I weesh--. Sall I tell you what I
weesh?"

"Yes, yes," said Zac, eagerly, with a strange thrill of excitement.

Margot threw a quick look around.

"Dees Monsieur de Cazeneau," said she, drawing nearer to Zac, and
speaking in a low, quick voice, "I 'fraid of heem. Dere is danjaire
for my mademoiselle. He is a bad man. He haf a plot--a plan. You moos
safe us. Dees Monsieur Motier is no good. You haf safe us from death;
you moos safe us from dees danjaire."

"How?" asked Zac, who took in at once the meaning of Margot's words,
though not fully understanding them.

"I will tell. Dess Monsieur de Cazeneau wish to get us to Louisbourg,
where he will ruin us all--dat is, de ole count and de mademoiselle.
You moos turn about, and take us to Boston."

"Take you to Boston! But this schooner is engaged to go to Louisbourg
with Mr. Motier."

Margot shook her head.

"You moos do it," said she, "or we sall be ruin. You moos tell
Monsieur Motier--"

Zac now began questioning her further; but Margot could not remain
any longer; she therefore hurried away, with the promise to see him
again and explain more about it; and Zac was left alone with his own
thoughts, not knowing exactly what he could say to Claude, or how he
could make up, out of Margot's scanty information, a story which
might offer sufficient ground for a change in the purpose of the
voyage.

Meanwhile Claude had seen Mimi at various times, and had conversed
with her, as before, in a very confidential manner. The danger of
which Margot had spoken was present in Mimi's thoughts, also; and she
was anxio