ot with the woman, but in his heart. He turned to the people,
and cried: 'Dry be your streets, and as ashes your eyes for your king!'
And then he rode on with the woman till they saw him no more--never!"
Andree said instantly:

"That was long ago. Now the king would ride back alone."

She did not look at Gaston, but she knew that his eyes were on her.
He closed the book, got up, came forward to the sailor, who was again
looking out to sea, and said carelessly over his shoulder:

"Men who lived centuries ago would act the same now, if they were here."

Her response seemed quite as careless as his: "How do you know?"

"Perhaps I had an innings then," he answered, smiling whimsically.

She was about to speak again, but the guide suddenly said:

"You must get away. There'll be a change of wind and a bad cross-current
soon."

In a few minutes the two were bearing out--none too soon, for those
pumas crowded up once or twice within a fathom of their deck, devilish
and devouring. But they wore away with a capricious current, and down a
tossing sea made for Audierne.

CHAPTER XVII. THE MAN AND THE WOMAN FACE THE INTOLERABLE

In a couple of hours they rounded Point de Leroily, and ran for the
harbour. By hugging the quay in the channel to the left of the bar, they
were sure of getting in, though the tide was low. The boat was docile
to the lug-sail and the helm. As they were beating in they saw a large
yacht running straight across a corner of the bar for the channel. It
was Warren Gasgoyne's Kismet.

The Kismet had put into Audierne rather than try to pass Point du Raz
at night. At Gibraltar a telegram had come telling of the painful
sensation, and the yacht was instantly headed for England; Mrs. Gasgoyne
crossing the Continent, Delia preferring to go back with her father--his
sympathy was more tender. They had seen no newspapers, and they did not
know that Gaston was at Audierne. Gasgoyne knowing, as all the world
knew, that there was a bar at the mouth of the harbour, allowed himself,
as he thought, sufficient room, but the wind had suddenly drawn ahead,
and he was obliged to keep away. Presently the yacht took the ground
with great force.

Gasgoyne put the helm hard down, but she would not obey. He tried at
once to get in his sails, but the surf was running very strong, and
presently a heavy sea broke clean over her. Then came confusion and
dismay: the flapping of the wet, half-lowered sails, and the whippi