rod in and out, one leg thrust forward, the
rest of the body thrown backward to avoid the heat, his pose recalled
one of David's Latin warriors about to let fly a javelin at the enemy.

"By Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Fitzhugh. "There's the chap who made such a
fuss when we sailed."

"Yes, that's the fellow!" said the chief engineer. "He's going his
'shift' readily enough now, but we've had a hard time with him. He had
to be driven to work like a dog. He's a surly brute and always ready
for a fight. You'd better not attract his attention."

So far, the stokers had not noticed the visitors' presence, but Mr.
Fitzhugh's exclamation made them look up. One of the firemen laughed,
and said something in an undertone to a comrade, whereupon the man
grinned, and, turning to the others, pointed to the Hon. Percy, who,
with his monocle, his green Tyrolian hat and white spats, looked comical
enough to excite derision. The jeers attracted the attention of
Armitage, who dropped back from the furnace he was cleaning out and
glared up at the intruders. He clenched his fist and ground his teeth as
he saw these perfumed, pampered passengers watching them as they might
view wild animals in a cage. It made his blood boil to see their clean
skins, their fine clothes. No doubt, they had not done a day's honest
work in their lives. That animated monkey with the monocle and white
spats, and those dainty dolls in laces and jewels, came simply from idle
curiosity, to gibe at their dirty, miserable appearance, to mock at
their sufferings. The thought maddened him. In a frenzy of rage, he
shook his fist in the direction of the little gallery where Grace and
her party stood.

"Get out of here!" he shouted furiously. "We don't want you! This isn't
a circus! Get out--do you hear?"

He stooped quickly, and, picking up a heavy piece of coal, lifted his
arm as if about to hurl it in their direction. Grace, frightened,
recoiled, and her companions also shrank back. Mr. Fitzhugh and the
professor had already bolted up the spiral stairway. The chief engineer
said quietly to Grace:

"You'd better go. There's no telling how he might excite the other men.
I regret very much that you should have been subjected to his insults.
He's half-crazy. Leave me to deal with him!"

Shaking his fist at the fireman, he shouted:

"You'll pay for this, Armitage. This means another dose of the
'hospital' for you!"

"Go to hell!" cried the stoker's hoarse voice.

Grace