ges go by in the way Hand
indicated, but after deliberation she dropped it for the moment, in
order to take up another matter.

"I was wondering," she began again, "how you happened to escape from
the _Jeanne D'Arc_ alone in a rowboat, and what your connection with
Monsieur Chatelard was. Will you tell me?"

A perfectly vacant look came into Hand's face. He might have been deaf
and dumb.

At last Agatha began again. "I am grateful, exceedingly grateful, Mr.
Hand, for all that you have done for us since this catastrophe, but I
can't have any mystery about people. That is absurd. Did you leave
the _Jeanne D'Arc_ when the others did--when I fell into the water?"

This time Hand consented to answer. "No, Mademoiselle; I did not know
you had fallen into the water until I brought you ashore in the
morning."

"Then how did you get off?"

"Well, it was rather queer. The men were all tired out working at the
pumps, and Monsieur Chatelard ordered a seaman named Bazinet and me to
relieve two of them. He said he would call us when the boats were
lowered, as the yacht was then getting pretty shaky. Bazinet and I
worked a long time; and when finally we got on deck, thinking the
_Jeanne D'Arc_ was nearly done for, the boats had put off. We heard
some one shouting, and Bazinet got frightened and jumped for the boat.
He thought they'd wait for him. It was too dark for me to see whether
he made it or not. I stayed on the yacht for some time, not knowing
anything better to do--" Hand allowed himself a faint smile--"and at
last, after a hunt, I found that extra boat, stowed away aft. It was
very small, and it leaked; probably that was why they did not think of
using it. But it was better than nothing. I found some putty and a
tin bucket, and got food and a lot of other things, though the boat
filled so fast that I had to throw most everything out. But I got
ashore, as you know. I didn't even wait to see the last of the _Jeanne
D'Arc_."

Agatha's eyes shone. Hand's story was perfectly simple and plausible.
But the other question was even more important. She hesitated before
repeating it, however, and rewarded Hand's unusual frankness with a
grateful look.

"That was a night of experience for us all," she said, with a little
sigh at the memory of it.

"But tell me--" Agatha looked up squarely at Hand, only to encounter
his deaf and dumb expression.

"If you will excuse me, Mademoiselle," said Hand deferenti