t her to enjoy the foretaste of arrival, which had
taken possession of her mind. Before turning in I went above and found
more passengers on deck than I had ever seen so late. Jasper was walking
about among them alone, but I forebore to join him. The coast of Ireland
had disappeared, but the night and the sea were perfect. On the way to
my cabin, when I came down, I met the stewardess in one of the passages
and the idea entered my head to say to her--'Do you happen to know where
Miss Mavis is?'

'Why, she's in her room, sir, at this hour.'

'Do you suppose I could speak to her?' It had come into my mind to ask
her why she had inquired of me whether I should recognise Mr.
Porterfield.

'No, sir,' said the stewardess; 'she has gone to bed.'

'That's all right.' And I followed the young lady's excellent example.

The next morning, while I was dressing, the steward of my side of the
ship came to me as usual to see what I wanted. But the first thing he
said to me was--'Rather a bad job, sir--a passenger missing.'

'A passenger--missing?'

'A lady, sir. I think you knew her. Miss Mavis, sir.'

'_Missing?_' I cried--staring at him, horror-stricken.

'She's not on the ship. They can't find her.'

'Then where to God is she?'

I remember his queer face. 'Well sir, I suppose you know that as well as
I.'

'Do you mean she has jumped overboard?'

'Some time in the night, sir--on the quiet. But it's beyond every one,
the way she escaped notice. They usually sees 'em, sir. It must have
been about half-past two. Lord, but she was clever, sir. She didn't so
much as make a splash. They say she _'ad_ come against her will, sir.'

I had dropped upon my sofa--I felt faint. The man went on, liking to
talk, as persons of his class do when they have something horrible to
tell. She usually rang for the stewardess early, but this morning of
course there had been no ring. The stewardess had gone in all the same
about eight o'clock and found the cabin empty. That was about an hour
ago. Her things were there in confusion--the things she usually wore
when she went above. The stewardess thought she had been rather strange
last night, but she waited a little and then went back. Miss Mavis
hadn't turned up--and she didn't turn up. The stewardess began to look
for her--she hadn't been seen on deck or in the saloon. Besides, she
wasn't dressed--not to show herself; all her clothes were in her room.
There was another lady, an old lady, Mr