oon began to look "white around the gills," as
Mr. Malcolm teasingly informed her, and when she said she "thought she
would go and look after Hafiz," Hope rallied and ridiculed her, well
backed by Dwight, who was a born sailor; but Bess evidently sympathized
with her, and began herself to look wan.

Faith had gone indoors--they were on the forward deck upon which the
captain's cabin, or "library," opened, and Hope had been watching her
zig-zag progress across it, laughing merrily, when, with the suddenness
of a lightning-stroke, everything grew black and began to spin around
her. She looked helplessly at Dwight, whose grinning face was like
that of a whirling dervish, made a little lurch forward, and would have
fallen, but that watchful Mr. Malcolm caught her just in time. He at
once sent a boy for the stewardess, and they soon had the
half-unconscious girl safe inside her own stateroom door, where Faith
looked up drowsily from her little bed to remark,

"Why, what's the matter? Did she get hurt?"

"Oh, no, only faint," returned the woman smiling broadly, while she
unfastened Hope's gown and assisted her upon the other bed. "There's
the pair of you."

"Two fools!" remarked the parrot, with such appropriateness that even
Hope had to join feebly in the woman's jolly laughter, while Faith
plucked up strength to gibe a little in return for her sister's attack
on deck.

"There, now, all you've got to do is to lie still," said the
stewardess, as she turned away. "Why, you little kitten! Where did
you come from?" for Hafiz, curled down snugly by Faith, had just
attracted her notice. "Is he yours, Miss Faith?"

"Yes, Martha. Papa gave him to me, and do let papa know, please, how
sick we are, so that he can look in on us when he has time," she added,
for, unaccustomed to illness, she felt they were almost in danger of
their lives, now.

When, however, a little later, their father peered in with a laughing
face to rally them, and declared in cheery tones that they were "just
getting their sea-legs, and would be good sailors in a day or two,"
they took heart, and both soon drowsed off into hazy slumber. But
neither wanted any dinner that night, and did not attempt much exertion
until late the next day. Hope awoke, feeling much brighter, and felt
that the motion was not so distressing as yesterday. She looked across
at Faith, who lay with closed eyes, pale indeed, but peaceful.

"Are you awake?" she whispered.