ne
back on board without giving it to you.'

"'What is it?' she said again, and this time she looked at me.

"'You don't know, I suppose,' I said, 'that Siddons--the Third Mate--has
had an accident?'

"She looked away and paused before answering.

"'I see,' she remarked, though what she saw I did not quite comprehend
at the moment. It seemed a strange comment to make.

"'Oh, come!' I said. 'Don't say you're not interested.'

"'How did it happen?' she enquired, looking at her shoe.

"I told her. She turned her foot about as though examining it, her
slender hands clasped on her lap. She had an air of being occupied with
some problem in which I had no part.

"'And the message?' she said at length. I gave her that, too, briefly,
and without any colouring of my own. She put one leg over the other,
clasping her knee with her hands, and bent forward, looking suddenly at
me from under bent brows.

"'What can I do?' she demanded in a low tone.

"'But don't you see,' I returned. 'He's in love with you.'

"She gave a faint shrug of the shoulders and uttered a sound of
amusement.

"'Then you are indifferent?' I asked, annoyed.

"'What else can I be?' she said. 'Boys always think they are in love. I
don't think much of that sort of love.' And she fell silent again,
looking at the sea.

"'Look here, my dear,' I said abruptly, 'tell me about it. I'm in the
dark. Can't I help you?'

"'No,' she said. 'You can't. Nobody can help me. I'm in a fix.'

"'But how?' I persisted.

"'Do you suppose,' she said, slowly, 'that nobody has been in love with
me before I came on your ship? I thought you'd understand, when I told
you I had never had any luck. I haven't. I had no one to tell me. I
thought people were kinder, you know--men, I mean. And now all I can do
is wait ... wait. Sometimes I wish I was dead, wish I'd never been born!
Before you came up, I was wondering if I couldn't just jump--finish it
all up--no more waiting. And then I found I hadn't the pluck to do that.
I tried to tell Mrs. Evans once, give her a hint somehow, but she
doesn't understand. She's safe. She's got a husband as well as ... no
matter. I was going to tell you, one evening, you remember, but I got
scared. I didn't feel sure about you. Oh, I'm sorry, of course, about
Mr. Siddons. I liked him, you know. He's a gentleman. But even gentlemen
are very much the same as anybody else.'

"'But what will you do?' I asked in astonishment.

"'I must go wit