the starlight at my visitor. Lo Chuh Fen!

"Yes!" I answered, steadying my voice and keeping it down to as low
tones as his own. "Yes--I can!"

He pointed to the door behind which lay Miss Raven.

"Wake missie--as quietly as possible," he whispered. "Tell her get
ready--come on deck--make no noise. All ready for you--then you go
ashore and away, see? Not good for you to be here longer."

"No danger to--her?" I asked him.

"No danger to anybody, you do as I say," he answered. "All ready for
you--nothing to do but come on deck, forward; get into the boat, be
off. Now!"

Without another word he glided up the stairway and disappeared. For a
few seconds I stood irresolute. Was it a trick, a plant? Should we be
safe on deck--or targets for Chinese bullets, or receptacles for
Chinese knives? Maybe!--yet--

I suddenly made up my mind. It was but one step to the door of the
little inner cabin--I scraped on its panels. It opened instantly--a
crack.

"Yes?" whispered Miss Raven.

I remembered then that if need arose she was to do unquestioningly
anything I told her to do.

"Dress at once and come out," I said. "Be quick!"

"I've never been undressed," she answered. "I lay down in my clothes."

"Then come, just now," I commanded. "Wait for nothing!"

She was out of the room at once and by my side in the gloom. I laid a
hand on her arm, giving its plump softness a reassuring pressure.

"Don't be afraid!" I whispered. "Follow me on deck. We're going."

"Going!" she said. "Leaving?"

"Come along!" said I.

I went before her up the stairway and out on the open deck. The night
was particularly clear; the stars very bright; the patch of water
between the yawl and the shore lay before us calm and dark; we could
see the woods above the cove quite plainly, and at the edge of them a
ribbon of white, the silver-sanded beach. And also, at the forward
part of the vessel we were leaving I saw, or fancied I saw, shadowy
forms--the Chinese were going to see us off.

But one form was not shadowy, nor problematical. Chuh was there,
awaiting us, his arms filled with rugs. Without a word he motioned us
to follow, preceded us along the side of the yawl to the boat, went
before us into it, helped us down, settled us, put the oars into my
hands, climbed out again, and leaned his yellow face down at me.

"You pull straight ahead," he murmured. "Good landing place straight
before you: dry place on beach, too--morning come soon; yo