d accompanied them.

Molloy, who was first, hesitated, and the tremendous flush on his face,
and frown on his shaggy brows, seemed to indicate that even yet he
meditated attempting his favourite "burst"! But Stevenson, pushing past
him, at once descended, saying, as he went, "Don't be foolish, Jack; we
_must_ learn to submit."

There were only three steps, and at the bottom a room about fifteen feet
square, to enlighten which there was a small hole high up in one of the
walls. It did little more, however, than render darkness visible.

"God help us!" exclaimed Miles, with a sensation of sinking at the heart
which he had never felt before.

And little wonder, for, as their eyes became accustomed to the dim
light, it was seen that the walls were blank, with nothing on them to
relieve the eye save the little hole or window just mentioned; that the
floor was of hard earth, and that there was not a scrap of furniture in
the room--not even a stool, or a bundle of straw on which to lie down.

"`I will trust, and not be afraid,'" said Stevenson, in a low voice.

"Who will you trust?" asked Simkin, who was not aware that his comrade
had quoted Scripture.

"I will trust God," answered the marine.

"I wouldn't give much for your trust, then," returned Simkin bitterly,
as well as contemptuously, for he had given way to despair. "You Blue
Lights and Christians think yourselves so much better than everybody
else, because you make so much talk about prayin' an' singin', an' doin'
your duty, an' servin' God, an' submitting. It's all hypocrisy."

"Don't you believe that Sergeant Hardy is a good soldier?" asked
Stevenson.

"Of course I do," replied Simkin, in some surprise at the question.

"An' _he_ doesn't think much of himself, does he?" continued the marine.

"Certainly not. He's one o' the kindest an' humblest men in the
regiment, as I have good reason to know."

"Yet he frequently talks to us of attendin' to our duty, an' doin'
credit to the British Flag, an' faithfully serving the Queen. If this
is praiseworthy in the sergeant, why should the talk of duty an' service
an' honour to God be hypocrisy in the Christian? Does it not seem
strange that we Blue Lights--who have discovered ourselves to be much
worse than we thought ourselves, an' gladly accept Jesus as our Saviour
from sin--should be charged with thinkin' ourselves `_better_ than other
people'!"

"Come now," cried Jack Molloy, seating himself on the f