cult to manage; it
was nastily crushed; though no bones were broken. The wrist was so much
swollen that I had to cut open the sleeve of her man's riding jacket.
Then I bathed the hand with cold water mixed with vinegar (which I had
heard was cooling) till I felt that the time had come to bandage it, so
that the patient might lie down to rest. She had been much shaken by her
fall. I don't think it ever once occurred to me to think of her as my
enemy. I felt too much pity for her, being hurt, like that. "Look here,"
I said. "You'll have to wear that arm in a sling. I'll bandage it up for
you nicely." She bore my surgery like the hero she was; it didn't look
very wonderful when it was done; but she said that the pain was a good
deal soothed. That was not the end though. I had to change cabins
with her, since I could not let a hurt woman sleep in that bunk in the
pantry; she might so easily be flung from it a second time. So I shifted
her things into my cabin, where I made all tidy for her. As for the
precious slush can, I stowed that carefully away, at the back of some
lumber in one of the pantry lockers, where it would not be found.
Altogether, it took me about twenty minutes to make everything ready,
by which time the little accident on deck had been forgotten, except by
those who had to do the work of sending up a new topmast; a job which
kept all hands busy all night. The ship was making a steady three knots.
under her reduced sail when I helped Aurelia across to her new room.
There was no more thought of danger.

As I paused at the cabin door, to ask if there was anything more which I
could do for her, the lady turned to me.

"What is your name?" she asked. I am ashamed to say that I hesitated,
being half inclined to give her a false name; for my time of secret
service had given me a thorough distrust of pretty nearly everybody. She
noticed my hesitation. "As a friend to another friend," she added. "Life
isn't all the King's service."

"My name is Martin Hyde," I said.

"Mine is Aurelia," she replied, "Aurelia Carew. Will you remember that?"
I told her that I should certainly remember that. "We seem to have met
before," she said, "more than once."

"Yes," I answered, smiling. She, too, smiled, but she quickly became
grave again.

"Mr. Martin Hyde," she said, with a little catch in her voice, "we two
are in opposite camps. But I don't know. After this, it's difficult.
I warn you." Here she stopped, quite unable