girls with a suggestion of a smile.
"I suppose I'll have to come to the lemon and herring," she said.

She was deathly sick all the rest of that day and most of the next, and
it was not till near nightfall of the second day that she began to feel
the first faint desire to live.

Jessie and Evelyn had wandered about aimlessly all the time, looking, as
Phil said, as if some one had just pronounced a death sentence upon them.
Though they had become acquainted with a great many of the passengers, no
one of them had been able to coax a smile to the girls' long faces. In
spite of Phil's uncivil remarks, it must be noted that even the wondrous
engine-room had lost much of its charm for him and he had cut his visit
short, merely to ask if they, meaning his father and mother, thought it
would not help some to get Lucile on deck--fresh air--etc., etc.

Toward evening the cause of all this unrest opened heavy eyes upon a
tossing gray world and turned her head languidly toward the porthole.

At the slight sound, Evelyn, who had been sitting, chin in hand, gazing
gloomingly out to sea, rose quickly and ran to the side of the bed.

"Are you better, dear?" she said, softly stroking Lucile's dark hair back
from her forehead with gentle fingers. "You went to sleep and I was so
afraid of disturbing you that I didn't dare move."

Lucile caught her friend's hand and pressed it to her cheek. "You and
Jessie have been darling to me--both of you," she cried, warmly, and
Evelyn dropped to her knees beside the bed.

"Oh, that sounds like our old Lucy," she exulted. "You are feeling better
aren't you, dear?"

"Lots," said Lucile, smiling up at her friend.

Then Jessie came running in and they hugged each other and laughed and
cried after the dear and foolish manner of all girls, until a gentle
knock disturbed them and brought Jessie to her feet with a start.

"Oh, I promised Phil I'd come right back and tell him if you were awake,
and I never did," she cried, in consternation.

But, upon opening the door, the visitors proved not to be a wrathful and
avenging young god, but Mr. and Mrs. Payton, coming to inquire after the
patient's health.

"Hello!" said Mr. Payton, as Jessie gave a relieved sigh. "We came down
to see a sick girl and we find a rank imposter in her place."

"Aren't you disappointed?" gibed his daughter. "Is that you, Mother? It's
so dark in that corner I can hardly see."

Her mother's answer was a very comforting o