wo girls were almost upon the thin man and his companion before
they were discovered. Then the fat man nudged his friend sharply, and
before the girls could blink the men had slipped around the corner of
the cabin and were lost to view among the crowd.

"Let's go after them," cried Bess excitedly. "We mustn't let them get
away from us, Nan. Why, they were trying to get into our room. I saw
them."

"Oh, Bess, hush," begged Nan as several people turned to look at the
girls curiously. "Come inside a minute. I want to talk to you."

She opened the door and half pushed, half dragged the excited Bess
inside the stateroom where the latter sank upon the berth and stared at
her friend indignantly.

"You've gone and let them get away," she accused her hotly. "And that
ugly thin man was trying to get in. We saw him."

"I know all that," said Nan a trifle impatiently. For several days her
nerves had been under a considerable strain and the effort to think and
act for Bess as well as herself was beginning to tell on her. "It
wouldn't have done us the slightest good in the world to have gone after
him. We never could have found him."

"But we can at least tell the captain," returned Bess, jumping to her
feet impatiently. "I never saw a girl like you, Nan. I really believe
you intend to let him get away."

"Well, what else can I do?" asked Nan quietly. "If I go to the captain
and tell him I found a couple of men standing in front of my door and
that I want them arrested, he will think that I'm crazy."

"But they had a key! They were trying to get in! We saw them!" insisted
Bess, pacing excitedly up and down the small stateroom.

"I know we did," said Nan patiently. "But the captain could never arrest
the men on such evidence. He would want proof. And you know as well as I
do that we haven't any."

"We-el," said Bess irresolutely, sitting down on the edge of the berth
and staring blackly at the opposite wall, "I suppose you are right, Nan
Sherwood. You usually are. But I do know one thing." She stirred
impatiently and mechanically straightened her pretty white hat. "And
that is that I won't enjoy myself one bit till we make those men stop
following us around and trying to get into our room with skeleton keys.
I suppose that is what he had. Oh, dear, it does seem as if something
were always happening to take the joy out of life!"

Nan ventured a shaky little laugh at this and began automatically
picking up her things and st