was moving, and left it when the collision occurred, keeping his eye
on me all the time, but not coming forward. He must even have walked
after me down the line from Dover Priory to the pier.

However, a shipwreck was a more serious affair than a railway
accident. And if the ship were indeed doomed, it would puzzle even him
to emerge with his life. He might seize me in the water, and from
simple hate drag me to destruction,--yes, that was just what he would
do,--but he would have a difficulty in saving himself. Such were my
wild and fevered notions!

On the starboard bow I saw the dim bulk and the masthead lights of a
steamer approaching us. The other passengers had observed it, too,
and there was a buzz of anticipation on the slanting deck. Only the
inimical man opposite to me seemed to ignore the stir. He did not even
turn round to look at the object which had aroused the general
excitement. His eyes never left me.

The vessel came nearer, till we could discern clearly the outline of
her, and a black figure on her bridge. She was not more than a hundred
yards away when the beat of her engines stopped. She hailed us. We
waited for the answering call from our own captain, but there was no
reply. Twice again she hailed us, and was answered only by silence.

"Why don't our people reply?" an old lady asked, who came up to me at
that moment, breathing heavily.

"Because they are d----d fools," I said roughly. She was a most
respectable and prim old lady; yet I could not resist shocking her
ears by an impropriety.

The other ship moved away into the night.

Was I in a dream? Was this a pantomime shipwreck? Then it occurred to
me that the captain was so sure of being ultimately able to help
himself that he preferred from motives of economy to decline
assistance which would involve a heavy salvage claim.

My self-possessed young man came along again in the course of his
peregrinations, the girl whom he called Lottie still on his arm. He
stopped for a chat.

"Most curious thing!" he began.

"What now?"

"Well, I found out about the collision."

"How did it occur?"

"In this way. The captain was on duty on the bridge, with the
steersman at the wheel. It was thickish weather then, much thicker
than it is now--in fact, there'll soon be no breeze left, and look at
the stars! Suddenly the lookout man shouted that there was a sail on
the weather bow, and it must have been pretty close, too. The captain
ordered the