said Dickory Charter to himself as he slipped out of the
chains, "she goes overboard, if I have to pitch her over."

Nothing had he heard about Ben Greenway. He did not believe that the
Scotchman had deserted his young mistress; even had he been sent for to
go on shore in haste, would he leave without speaking to her. More than
that, he would most likely have taken her with him.

But Dickory could not afford to give much thought to Ben Greenway.
Although a good friend to both himself and his mother, he was not to be
considered when the safety of Mistress Kate Bonnet was in question.

The minutes moved slowly, very slowly indeed, as Kate sat, listening for
the sound of the old clock, and at the same time listening for the sound
of approaching footsteps.

It was now so dark that she could not have seen anybody without a light,
but she could hear as if she had possessed the ears of a cat.

She had ceased to expect her father. She was sure he had been detained
on shore; how, she knew not. But she did know he was not coming.

Presently the old clock struck, one, two--In a moment she was climbing
over the rail. In the darkness she missed the heavy bit of rope which
Dickory had showed her, but feeling about she clutched it and let
herself down to the ledge below. Her nerves were quite firm now. It was
necessary to be so very particular to follow Dickory's directions to
the letter, that her nerves were obliged to be firm. She slipped still
farther down and sat sideways upon the narrow ledge. So narrow that if
the vessel had rolled she could not have remained upon it.

There she waited.

Then there came, sharper and clearer out of the darkness in the
direction of the town, the first stroke of nine o'clock from the tower
of the new church. Before the second stroke had sounded she was hanging
by her two hands from the ledge. She hung at her full length; she put
her feet together; she hoped that she would go down smoothly and make no
splash. Three--four--five--six--seven--eight--nine--and she let her
fingers slip from the ledge. Down she went, into the darkness and into
the water, not knowing where one ended and the other began. Her eyes
were closed, but they might as well have been open; there was nothing
for her to see in all that blackness. Down she went, as if it were to
the very bottom of black air and black water. And then, suddenly she
felt an arm around her.

Dickory was there!

She felt herself rising, and Dick