In less time than it takes to tell it, a score or more of strong arms
hurled one out to him, and he caught it in the nick of time.

Then amidst the greatest excitement he was drawn to the deck with his
inanimate burden.

So intense had been the excitement that the passengers who had stood
nearest the principals in the bitter quarrel which had taken place had
lost track entirely of the fact that a tragedy had almost been enacted
in their midst.

And when they began to inquire into the matter no one could tell what
had become of the man who had cried out that he had been shot, and they
considered it a false alarm.

Had this lovely young girl anything to do with this matter, or was it a
coincidence that at the self-same moment she had flung herself into the
water?

Meanwhile, kindly hands took the burden from the young man's arms. As he
was drawn on deck some one in the crowd cried out in consternation:

"Great Heavens! It's Jack Garner! And the girl whom he has saved is
little Dorothy Glenn!"

There was much speculation as to why the girl had attempted to commit
suicide; but Jack's friend, a fellow-workman in the book-bindery,
declared quickly that it never could have been a case of attempted
suicide--the girl must have fallen overboard, and Jack had of course
sprung to the rescue.

This looked plausible enough; and what they had all expected to be a
great sensation seemed to turn out but an accident pure and simple.

As for Langdon, he had suddenly disappeared in the crowd after striking
at the revolver which Jack had drawn upon him and crying out mockingly
that he was shot when it was discharged, simply to get Jack into trouble
and to get sympathy for himself.

They found it no easy matter to restore the girl to consciousness, and
at this juncture an old gentleman, a retired doctor who had been in the
cabin when the accident had happened, came hurriedly to her assistance
when he heard that she was beyond the skill of those attending her in
the ladies' cabin.

"Stand back!" he cried, forcing his way through the crowd of women. "How
do you suppose you can bring her to while you stand round her and
exclude the air? And by all that's wonderful, although you poured brandy
down her throat, no one seemed to know enough to open her dress!"

And forthwith he began hurriedly to open the dress at the throat. But as
he did so a low cry broke from his lips, and his florid old face turned
deathly white.

"My God, it