ate. Physically she felt tired and
spent; mentally, despite the shock of Vernon Keith's tragic end, she was
conscious of a feeling of relief, as though a weight had been lifted
from her mind.

Reviewing the events of the day before, she flushed to think of the
inconsequent manner in which she had announced the fact of her
understanding with Jim Blair. How had she come to do it? What exactly
had she said? Her mental condition at the time of speaking had been so
deranged that she had no clear recollection of the sequence of events.
She _hoped_ there had been nothing startling or unusual about the
announcement, that Captain Bedford had not thought it unnecessary and
uncalled for, but even if things were different from her hopes, she was
still thankful that on that wave of impulse she had spoken and confessed
the truth, for from the moment of her meeting with Bedford--not the
formal meeting in the saloon of the ship, but that other speechless
encounter in the streets of Port Said, she had felt oppressed by a sense
of disloyalty, which no amount of reasoning could dissolve. The
personality of Jim Blair, as revealed through the medium of pen and ink,
had become suddenly a shadowy, intangible thing when compared with the
magnetism of this live man's presence.

Not once, but a hundred times over, had Katrine regretted the little
bundle of letters securely packed in a box in the hold--those tender,
humorous, pre-eminently sane letters which had taken so strong a hold of
her imagination. She had packed them away for security's sake, telling
herself that she would receive others at Port Said and Bombay, and that
on the way out to meet the very man himself, she would have no need of
written words, but the Port Said letter had proved a disappointment, and
a need _had_ arisen! It would have meant much to her during the last
days to have had those written words before her eyes.

After breakfast Mrs Mannering descended, bustling and energetic.

"Now then--up with you! No use lying here, and glumping over what's
past. One man's gone. God rest his soul, and give him a better chance
than he ever had here! but there's another one waiting for you upstairs.
If you've any sense you'll be up and join him."

Katrine sat up obediently, and began drawing on her long silk stockings.

"Mrs Mannering,--what's your religion?"

Her companion started, stared, and laughed.

"Well! any way I can tell you _yours_! Narrow Church!" she sa