ry, you are the very best
companion that a girl in my unfortunate situation could possibly have;
for you are, before and above all else, a gentleman--a chivalrous,
courteous, tender-hearted gentleman, with whom I feel as safe as though
you were my brother. And then you are brave, strong, resourceful, and
so utterly unselfish that you amaze me--"

"There, that will do, thank you," laughed Leslie. "Do you wickedly wish
to make me conceited? Because you will, if you say much more in that
strain. As to `brothers,' I hope you don't look upon me as a brother,
do you?"

"Why, yes--almost," answered the girl, a little doubtfully. "Do you not
wish me to regard you as a brother, Dick?"

"Um," he meditated; "of course that would be better than nothing; but--
oh no; on the whole I think I have no desire that you should regard me
as a brother. There, now of course I have offended you. What an ass
and a cad I am!"

"You are not; you are _not_! And I will not have you say so," exclaimed
the girl, passionately. "And you have not offended me," she went on.
"It is only that I am feeling a little depressed to-day; and your--I
mean--oh, I cannot explain!"

And therewith she turned away abruptly, and beat a hasty retreat to the
shelter of the tent.

Leslie looked after her as though for a moment he felt inclined to
follow her. Then he thought better of it, and meditatively proceeded to
land the things that he had brought ashore from the brig. This done, he
hunted up the axe and wandered off to the woods in search of a couple of
spars to serve as sheers for working the main hatchway. The cutting
down of these, the conveyance of them to the shore, and the towing of
them off alongside the brig provided him with plenty of work for the
remainder of the day; he therefore did not again meet his companion
until the day's work was over and they sat down to dinner. It was
apparent that by that time the young lady had completely recovered her
spirits; but she carefully avoided all reference to the little scene
that had occurred earlier in the day, so Leslie thought it best to let
the matter drop, although he continued to puzzle over it for several
days thereafter.

The following day saw Leslie once again aboard the brig, where he busied
himself in getting his spars in on deck, converting them into sheers,
fitting them, and by means of tackles and stays rearing them into
position and securing them. It was a long and heavy job, oc