riously disconcerting to find herself brought suddenly face to face
with primitive realities. She was wet through and worn out, and
although evening was not far away, she had eaten nothing since seven
o'clock that morning. The momentary petulance deserted her.

"Oh!" she cried, "they mayn't be able to send off for us for perhaps a
day or two."

"It is quite likely that the breeze will drop at sunset," Nasmyth
replied cheerfully. "These westerly breezes often do. Anyway, the rain
seems to be stopping, and I may be able to dry my matches. In the
meanwhile I might come across something to eat. There are oysters on
some of these beaches."

Violet glanced at the Bush apprehensively, and once more it was
evident that she did not wish him to leave her. This sent a little
thrill of satisfaction through him, and although he half-consciously
contrasted her with Laura Waynefleet, it was not altogether to her
disadvantage. It is a curious fact that some men, and probably women,
too, feel more drawn to the persons upon whom they confer a benefit
than to those from whom they receive one. Laura Waynefleet, he
realized, would have urged him to make some attempt to reach the
_Tillicum_, and in all probability would have insisted on taking a
share in it, while his companion desired only to lean on him. After
all, Laura's attitude was more pleasant to the subconscious vanity
that was in his nature, and in this respect he probably differed but
little from most of his fellows.

"You won't be very long away?" she said.

Nasmyth reassured her upon this point, and floundered down to the
beach, where he carefully laid out to dry the little block of sulphur
matches that he carried. Then he crawled among the boulders near
low-water mark, and, since oysters are tolerably plentiful along those
beaches, succeeded in collecting several dozen of them. After that he
sat down and gazed seaward for a minute or two. There was no sign of
the _Tillicum_, only a strip of dingy, slate-green sea smeared with
streaks of froth, which shone white beneath a heavy, lowering sky.
Close in front of him the sea hove itself up in rows of foam-crested
ridges, which fell upon the boulders and swirled over them and among
them a furious white seething. He fancied that it was near sunset, and
it was clear that the breeze was a little lighter. It seemed to him
just possible that four capable seamen might keep the gig afloat close
enough to the beach for one to wade out