her.

"Mr. Sherry," she said presently, "I have a suggestion to make. One of
the boats belonging to this station was lost, as you know, not long ago,
but there is another, a large one, which was sold to some natives. Would
you like me to send for her, and if you like it better than your own, I
think we could buy it back."

I knew the boat well enough by sight. She was half-decked, and although
not a beauty to look at, was certainly a much better and safer boat than
my own for a long voyage. I decided to inspect her, and my hostess at
once despatched a man to the village where the boat was then lying with
a message to the chief to bring her to Taritai. I told Mrs. Krause that
if the boat was seaworthy she would certainly be far preferable to my
own, and that I would buy it from the natives. And then, much against
my will, I had to ask her what she intended doing with her husband's
property when she left the island.

"That is one subject upon which I want your advice. Will you look at his
account-books, and tell me his position with the firm in Hamburg?"

Krause had kept his books very methodically, and after taking stock of
the little trade goods that were still unsold, and counting his cash, I
was able to tell her pretty exactly how he stood. There was about L200
due to him altogether.

"What would you advise me to do?" she asked.

"As far as the house and all that is in it is concerned, you can do
nothing but leave it under the care of the head men of Taritai. They
will undertake the responsibility, and hand the station over to the
first German ship that calls."

"There will be a man-o'-war here soon, the _Elizabeth_. At least, we
heard that she was likely to come here some time this year."

I said she would be doing wisely if she remained on the island, and got
the man-of-war captain to settle up Krause's affairs; but she shuddered
and looked at me in such fear that I said no more, beyond remarking that
as her husband had left no will--at least, as far as she knew--I feared
she would have trouble in getting the amount due to him at the time of
his death. She would probably have to go to Sydney, where there was a
branch of the firm he was trading for.

"I don't want the L200," she said vehemently. "I have a little money of
my own--about twenty dollars--and one cannot well starve anywhere in the
South Seas. I am young and can work. I could earn my living by making
Panama hats if I could find nothing else to do