and he's combing the islands in search of her. He's a
hundred miles sou'-east of me."

"Well, this young lady I was about to describe," said the doctor,
"is Enschede's daughter."

McClintock whistled. "Oho!" he said. "So she got away as far as
this, eh? But where does she come in?"

The doctor recounted that side of the tale. "And so I want the boy
out of the way," he concluded. "She in intensely impressionable and
romantic, and probably she is giving the chap qualities he doesn't
possess. All the talk in the world would not describe Ruth. You
have to see her to understand."

"And what are you going to do with her, supposing I'm fool enough
to take this boy with me?"

"Send her to my people, in case she cannot find her aunt."

"I see. Afraid there'll be a love-affair. Well, I'll have a look-see
at this young De Maupassant. I know faces. Down in my part of the
world it's all a man has to go by. But if he's in bed, how the devil
is he going with me, supposing I decide to hire him? The mudhook
comes up to-morrow night."

"I can get him aboard all right. A sea voyage under sail will be
the making of him."

"Let's toddle over to the Victoria at once. I'll do anything in
reason for you, old top; but no pig in a poke. Enschede's daughter.
Things happen out this way. That's a queer yarn."

"It's a queer girl."

"With a face as square and flat as a bottle of gin. I know the
Dutch." He sent the doctor a sly glance.

"She's the most beautiful creature you ever set eyes on," said the
doctor, warmly. "That's the whole difficulty. I want her to get
forward, to set her among people who'll understand what to do with
her."

"Ship her back to her father"--sagely.

"No. I tell you, that girl would jump into the sea, rather.
Something happened down there, and probably I'll never know what.
Every time you mention the father, she turns into marble. No; she'd
never go back. Mac, she's the honestest human being I ever saw or
heard of; and at the same time she is velvet over steel. And yet,
she would be easy prey in her present state of mind to any
plausible, attractive scoundrel. That's why I'm so anxious to get
her to a haven."

"Come along, then. You've got me interested and curious. If you
were ten years younger, you'd have me wondering."

The doctor did not reply to this rather ambiguous statement, but
pushed back his chair and signed to McClintock to follow. They
found Ruth reading to Spurlock, whose shoulders and h