trouble.

"Mr Leslie," she said, the tears welling up into her eyes again, "I
must ask you to prepare yourself to hear bad news--very bad and very
_sad_ news. I cannot bring the carpenter to you; I cannot bring him, or
any other of the crew to you; for, my poor friend, you and I--and
Sailor--are the only living beings left on board this most unfortunate
ship!"

"You and I--the only people left aboard?" gasped Leslie. "Then, in
Heaven's name, what has become of the real?"

"I cannot tell you--I do not know," answered the girl. "But if you will
let me tell my story in my own way, I have no doubt that your knowledge
of seafaring matters will enable you to judge with sufficient accuracy
just what has happened.

"You will remember, perhaps, that on the night before last there was a
terribly violent storm of lightning and thunder--"

"The night _before last_?" interrupted Leslie. "You mean _last_ night,
surely?"

"No," answered Miss Trevor; "I mean the night before last. You have
lain here unconscious nearly thirty-six hours."

"Thirty-six hours!" ejaculated Leslie, with a groan. "Well, go on,
please."

"That storm," continued Miss Trevor, "was so violent and terrifying that
I found it not only impossible to sleep through it, but even to remain
in my cabin. I therefore rose, dressed, and stationed myself in the
place you call the companion, at the head of the cabin stairs where,
sheltered by the cover, I could at least watch what was going on.
Crouched there, I saw everything that happened. I saw you spring to the
wheel when the gale struck the ship; I saw you felled to the deck by the
falling mast; and I was the first to spring to your assistance and drag
you out from the midst of the tangle of ropes and broken spars. Then
the carpenter and one or two other men came running up, and they helped
me to bring you down here to your own cabin, where I have been attending
to you ever since, and striving, oh, so earnestly and so hard, to
restore you to consciousness."

"My poor, brave girl," murmured Leslie, "what courage, what devotion you
have shown!"

The young lady resumed--

"The carpenter and the others left me immediately that we had got you
laid comfortably on your bed, and the lamp lighted, explaining that it
was necessary for them to be on deck to take care of the ship--as I
could readily understand; for the frightful roar of the wind and the
violent motion of the ship bore eloquent witness to the f