now so hot that the comparative coolness of the night air on
deck proved irresistibly attractive to Miss Trevor, who, "sleeping in"
all night, was naturally indisposed to go to bed at so early an hour as
eight o'clock in the evening; and as she evinced a disposition to keep
the deck for an hour or two, Leslie also remained on deck to bear her
company.

For some time the two walked the weather side of the brig's flush deck,
between the stern grating and the mainmast, conversing more or less
intermittently upon various topics, until at length Leslie's attention
was attracted to the man at the wheel, who, he noticed, was continually
glancing over his shoulder with a perturbed air at the water astern,
instead of keeping his eyes upon the compass card. It seemed also to
Leslie that the man was trying to attract his attention, although he was
too bashful, in Miss Trevor's presence, to speak.

So when the pair next reached the stern grating in the course of their
promenade, Leslie paused, and said--

"What is the matter, Tom? You seem to be bestowing quite an unusual
amount of attention on the wake of the ship; is there anything
remarkable to be seen there?"

The man straightened himself up with the satisfied air of one who, after
much striving, has at length achieved success.

"Well, I don't exactly know, sir, as you would call it _remarkable_" he
answered; "but there's something visible over the starn as perhaps the
lady might like to see."

"Oh!" answered Leslie. "Then let us have a look at it."

And offering his hand to Miss Trevor, he assisted her to mount the
grating and led her to the taffrail, over which they both leaned, gazing
down into the black profundity beneath them.

The brig was travelling at the rate of about six knots; at which speed
she was wont to create a considerable amount of disturbance in the
element through which she ploughed her passage; the water was
brilliantly phosphorescent, and as a result of this the wake of the brig
was on this occasion a mass of sea-fire, the foam that she churned up on
either side of her glowing and sparkling with luminous clouds
interspersed with thousands of tiny stars that waxed and waned with
every plunge of the vessel. The water was almost as transparent as air
itself, and by leaning out over the taffrail it was possible to see the
rudder, the brig's "heel," and a considerable amount of her "run," all
aglow with bluish white light that streamed away far ast