urely and
almost comically, to Cadogan's way of thinking, urged the stout waist of
Meade against the edge of the table.

Cadogan waited his last turn to play, laid down his card, and scooped in
the trick. "Forty on points, eight on honors, Major," he said, and set
it down. "If nobody minds, I'll step out on deck and see what stopped
her."

"Stopped! Is she stopped?" exclaimed Vogel.

"She is." Cadogan strolled out of the smoking-room. Three or four had
preceded him; half a dozen, who had nothing else to do, strolled out
after him.

In a few minutes those who had gone out were beginning to return.
"Well, what do you know about that?" whooped the first one. "Hit a
lump of ice! Lucky for the ice we didn't hit it fair, with this
forty-five-thousand-tonner going along at twenty-five or six knots an
hour like she is!"

Several laughed at that, and Major Crupp, who was patiently riffling the
cards, called out to the last speaker: "Did you see Mr. Cadogan out
there?"

"I saw him going toward the bow of the ship, Major," was the answer.

"Investigating, I suppose. Well, suppose we play dummy--what do you-all
say?--till Caddie comes back. He's possessed of a demon for finding out
things. Your deal, Mr. Vogel."

A steward stepped in from the deck. "Major Crupp, sir?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Cadogan told me to say not to wait till he came back, sir, but to
go on with the game, sir."

Vogel picked up his cards. "How long will we be delayed, steward?"

"Oh, not more than an hour or two, they say, sir."

"H-m-m"--Vogel stared reflectively at the table--"I'll have to buy
Cadogan a good smoke when he comes back. He saved me ninety or a hundred
pounds on that high field."

They resumed play.

II

Lavis was pacing the wide promenade deck and sniffing the air as he
paced. It was as if a breath of the north were on them, and yet--having
reached the uncovered part of the deck astern he looked up to observe
the steamer's smoke--the wind was not from the north.

Such passengers as were still making their rounds were doing so
determinedly, in sweaters or top-coats. Without halting in their rapid
walking they, too, at times drew short, sharp breaths through high-held
nostrils. It surely was growing colder. But why? A group held up an
officer who was smoking his pipe in the lee of the canvas forward to ask
him why. He at once set them right about it. Why, surely it should be
cool--on the North Atlantic, in April, and well on in th