state-room. With the anchoring of the vessel, the momentary restraint
was relaxed, the passengers were allowed to pervade the deck, and Mrs.
Markham and Mr. Brace simultaneously rushed to Miss Keene's side.
"We were awfully alarmed for you, my dear," said Mrs. Markham, "until
we saw you had a protector. Do tell me--what DID he say? He must have
thought the danger great to have broken the Senor's orders and come upon
deck? What did he talk about?"
With a vivid recollection in her mind of Mr. Hurlstone's contemptuous
ignoring of the other ladies, Miss Keene became slightly embarrassed.
Her confusion was not removed by the consciousness that the jealous eyes
of Brace were fixed upon her.
"Perhaps he thought it was night, and walked upon deck in his sleep,"
remarked Brace sarcastically. "He's probably gone back to bed."
"He offered me his protection very politely, and begged to remain to put
me in the boat in case of danger," said Miss Keene, recovering herself,
and directing her reply to Mrs. Markham. "I think that others have made
me the same kind of offer--who were wide awake," she added mischievously
to Brace.
"I wouldn't be too sure that they were not foolishly dreaming too,"
returned Brace, in a lower voice.
"I should think we all were asleep or dreaming here," said Mrs. Markham
briskly. "Nobody seems to know where we are, and the only man who might
guess it--Senor Perkins--has gone off in the boat with the mate."
"We're not a mile from shore and a Catholic church," said Crosby, who
had joined them. "I just left Mrs. Brimmer, who is very High Church, you
know, quite overcome by these Angelus bells. She's been entreating the
captain to let her go ashore for vespers. It wouldn't be a bad idea, if
we could only see what sort of a place we've got to. It wouldn't do to
go feeling round the settlement in the dark--would it? Hallo! what's
that? Oh, by Jove, that'll finish Mrs. Brimmer, sure!"
"Hush!" said Miss Keene impulsively.
He stopped. The long-drawn cadence of a chant in thin clear soprano
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