en,
but I wasn't just sure----"

She was climbing up into her berth during this explanation. Suddenly a
hideous thought caused her to collapse on the edge of her bed--she had
left her Chinese coat behind!

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The day after the loss of her Chinese coat was the last day at sea. They
were to land sometime in the morning. When she woke from her troubled
dreams, Isabelle's thought was that she would stay in her stateroom
until it was time to disembark. She could not decide whether to tell
Miss Watts the story of her mistake and ask her advice, or whether it
was sufficiently disgraceful to be kept a secret.

She reviewed it for the thousandth time,--the open doors, all alike, the
entrance into the wrong one, her leisurely disposal of her coat, and
then her hand planted firmly in the middle of that strange face--that
moustached face! Could he have seen her and recognized her in the moment
she stood before him? It was dark in the room, except for a dim light
from the corridor. Was there anything about the coat which could
identify her? Should she give the stewardess twenty-five dollars and
tell her to get it, and answer no questions? But how would she explain
its being in that room? It was simple enough to her, how it got there,
but you never could tell how other people would take a thing. She
decided to let the coat remain, and tell no one of the incident.

But granted that there was no way for the man to identify her, why need
she hide? It was a beautiful warm day and the cabin was stuffy. No, she
would go forth and count the number of men aboard who wore moustaches.

_He wore one!!!_

It flashed into her mind in italics! Captain Larry O'Leary wore one!
Suppose . . . ! She blushed at the thought, and began hurriedly to
dress. Miss Watts had already gone forth for a promenade before
breakfast. Arrayed in one of her white linen suits and a close boyish
white hat, Isabelle fared forth to join her companion. But half way down
the deck, she hesitated, for her companion was already companioned. None
other than the gallant Captain O'Leary strode the deck by her side.
Before Isabelle could flee, they turned suddenly and saw her. They came
toward her. Two feet from where she stood, the Captain halted, bowed,
said audibly:

"Thus far, and no farther, Miss Watts. Here lies the safety line." He
indicated an imaginary line with an immaculate boot.

Miss Watts looked her surpri