e that Hugh prevented her from
joining her sister on the wharf, she told the story of the afternoon,
though not without skilful questionings that made the matter clear, though
hardly comprehensible. She gave no names, but mentioned Hugh as "the young
gentleman."

"You have had quite an adventure, Miss--," and he looked up thinking she
would supply the name, but she smiled and shook her head.

"Miss Jonathan, then; you must have some name for my wife to know you by,"
he added, smilingly. "Now, I don't think you did a very wise thing when you
got on a strange craft for safety. It was all right as it happened, but it
might not have happened all right. However, you are safely out of the
scrape; still, if I am not mistaken in the young man, he thinks too much of
you to really harm you."

"Do you think you know who it was?" and she looked up with a flushed face.

"Well, I suppose it was the same chap that whistled with you at the
concert, wasn't it!"

"No, indeed! I suppose I must tell you more, after all. You don't
understand the half of it yet. It was one who was, at one time, my sister's
lover, or so I thought, but he--"

"He changed his mind, I see," and there was a twinkle of fun in the eyes
that watched the face before him. "I begin to see the point now. That is
why he did not want your sister with you. May I hazard a guess and say that
perhaps it was the dark young man who was glowering at you the night of the
concert? Oh, I saw it all," as she looked up in surprise. "So it was he?"

"Yes, he was out of temper that night, I remember."

"Well, he did not look very amiable, I must say; but, for all that, you
were safer with him than on the vessel, for, if I am not mistaken, that is
the crew going aboard now," and the shouts and songs of the sailors reached
their ears as they rowed towards the vessel.

"Oh! thank you, thank you a thousand times, for coming along just when you
did! What should I have done? But I had this," and she drew forth the
revolver from her pocket.

"Great Scott! have you got that yet? What were you going to do with it?"

"I would have turned it on myself if there was no other way. Would you mind
accepting it? McNeil shall never have it back," and she laid it by his
side.

The oars were poised in the air as he caught the name. "McNeil, you said!
Not the McNeil that has had the fortune left him lately, and is considered
such a great catch?"

"Yes, he has had a fortune left him; as for b