ad driven a knife at John Armitage, and was poising himself for another
attempt when Shirley seized his arm. As he drew back a fold of his cloak
still lay in Shirley's grasp, and she gave a sharp little cry as the
figure, with a quick jerk, released the cloak and slipped away into the
shadows. A moment later the lights were restored, and she saw Armitage
regarding ruefully a long slit in the left arm of his ulster.

"Are you hurt? What has happened?" she demanded.

"It must have been a sea-serpent," he replied, laughing.

The deck officer regarded them curiously as they blinked in the glare of
light, and asked whether anything was wrong. Armitage turned the matter
off.

"I guess it was a sea-serpent," he said. "It bit a hole in my ulster, for
which I am not grateful." Then in a lower tone to Shirley: "That was
certainly a strange proceeding. I am sorry you were startled; and I am
under greatest obligations to you, Miss Claiborne. Why, you actually
pulled the fellow away!"

"Oh, no," she returned lightly, but still breathing hard; "it was the
instinct of self-preservation. I was unsteady on my feet for a moment,
and sought something to take hold of. That pirate was the nearest thing,
and I caught hold of his cloak; I'm sure it was a cloak, and that makes
me sure he was a human villain of some sort. He didn't feel in the least
like a sea-serpent. But some one tried to injure you--it is no jesting
matter--"

"Some lunatic escaped from the steerage, probably. I shall report it to
the officers."

"Yes, it should be reported," said Shirley.

"It was very strange. Why, the deck of the _King Edward_ is the safest
place in the world; but it's something to have had hold of a sea-serpent,
or a pirate! I hope you will forgive me for bringing you into such an
encounter; but if you hadn't caught his cloak--"

Armitage was uncomfortable, and anxious to allay her fears. The incident
was by no means trivial, as he knew. Passengers on the great
transatlantic steamers are safeguarded by every possible means; and the
fact that he had been attacked in the few minutes that the deck lights
had been out of order pointed to an espionage that was both close and
daring. He was greatly surprised and more shaken than he wished Shirley
to believe. The thing was disquieting enough, and it could not but
impress her strangely that he, of all the persons on board, should have
been the object of so unusual an assault. He was in the disagreeable