greater,
that seemed to mock at the strength of all these hands that snatched at
her, she was whirled off her feet, and Jean, towering there in all his
great might, snarling like some beast at bay, was between her and the
others.

"_Let her alone_!"--Jean's steel-locked wrists and clenched hands were
raised above his head. "Let her alone!"--his voice was hoarse, low
with a murderous fury. "I'll kill, do you understand--with these"--he
shook the steel bracelets on his wrists--"I'll kill--the first
man--that tries to take her away!"

Before the white, livid face, the passion in the mighty, quivering
form, they fell back instinctively; and for an instant that tense,
bated silence fell again upon the hall--and then a child cried
peevishly--and then a voice spoke authoritatively.

She did not understand what was said; but she was clinging to Jean
again, and the crowd of men in uniform were going away, leaving only
one or two near them.

"What was it? What did he say?" she asked wildly.

"That there must be something in common between us--and to bring us
both together before the special inquiry board," he answered
mechanically--and because he could not spread his hands apart, he laid
them, still trembling with the fury that had been upon him, both
together on her shoulder, and drew her to him.

It terrified her, the sight of those manacles on his wrists. Why--why
were they there? What were they going to do with him? What was this
inquiry--was it to send him to prison?

"Jean, what is it?" she whispered piteously. "What does it mean? What
are they going to do with you?"

"I do not know," he said, and smiled at her. "I only know that for a
little while at least you are here with me again."

"Jean--answer me!" she cried out in her fear.

"But I do not know what they will do," he said again. "I am a
stowaway. They caught me that night on the ship when I was trying to
find some place to sleep--and, _pardieu_, they were not too gentle
until one or two were hurt!--and then they made me work my passage in
the stokehole."

It seemed so hard to think! Some wonder, that was a glorious wonder,
was in her heart.

"You--you did not go back, Jean; I--I thought you had gone back,
Jean"--it was as though she were telling, in a low, whispering way,
some great, glad, joyous thing to herself. And then there came a
sudden whiteness to her face, but her head was lifted bravely until her
eyes met his. "Jean, tell them