ed yet. You know what's what. Slash and cut as much as you
please. I'll knock off at tea. By-by."

The desperate eagerness to go with him--and she dared not voice it!
She watched him until McClintock joined him and the two made off
toward the south. She turned back into the hall. Rollo began to
cavort.

"No, Rollo; not this afternoon."

"But I've got to go!" insisted Rollo, in perfectly understandable
dog-talk.

"Be still!"

"Oh, come along! I've just got to have my muck bath. I'm burning
up."

"Rollo!"

There were no locks or panelled doors in the bungalow; and Rollo
was aware of it. He dashed against the screen door before she could
catch him and made the veranda. Once more he begged; but as Ruth
only repeated her sharp command, he spun about and raced toward the
jungle. Immediately he was gone, she regretted that she had not
followed.

Hidden menace; a prescience of something dreadful about to happen.
Ruth shivered; she was cold. Alone; not even the dog to warn her,
and Hoddy deep in the island somewhere. Help--should she need
it--from the natives was out of the question. She had not made
friends with any; so they still eyed her askance.

Yes; she had heard the music the night before. She had resisted as
long as she could; then she had stolen over. She had to make sure,
for the peace of her mind, that this was really the man. One glance
through the window at that picturesque head had been sufficient. A
momentary petrifaction, and terror had lent wings to her feet.

He had found her by the same agency her father had: native talk,
which flew from isle to isle as fast as proas could carry it. She
was a lone white woman, therefore marked.

What was it in her heart or mind or soul that went out to this man?
Music--was that it? Was he powerless to stir her without the gift?
But hadn't he fascinated her by his talk, gentle and winning? Ah,
but that had been after he had played for her.

She had gone into Morgan's one afternoon for a bag of salt. One
hour later she had gone back to the mission--without the salt. For
the first time in her life she had heard music; the door to
enchanted sounds had been flung wide. For hours after she had not
been sensible to life, only to exquisite echoes.

Of course she had often heard sailors hammering out their ditties.
Sometimes ships would stop three or four days for water and
repairs; and the men would carouse in the back room at Morgan's.

Day after day--five, to be