u. You are not by nature a criminal and a stealer of women, I know.
And you have been kind and brave to-day; I shall never forget that. Do
you really mean now to stay by me?"

Hand's gaze was no less earnest than her own; and though he flinched at
"criminal," his eyes met hers steadily.

"As long as I can help you, Mademoiselle, I will do so."

At his words, spoken with sincerity, Agatha's spirit, tired and
overwrought as it was, rose for an instant to its old-time buoyancy.
She smiled at him.

"You mean it?" she asked. "Honest true, cross your heart?"

Hand's businesslike features relaxed a little. "Honest true, cross my
heart!" he repeated.

"All right," said Agatha, almost cheerfully. "And now you must go,
before it gets any darker. Don't try to return in the night, at the
risk of losing your way. But come as soon as you can after daylight;
and remember, I trust to you! Good-by."

Hand already, earlier in the day, had made a path for himself up the
steep bank through the underbrush, and now Agatha went with him to the
edge of the thicket. She watched and listened until the faint rustling
of his footsteps ceased, then turned back to the camp on the beach.
She went to the fire and stirred up its coals once more before
returning to James. He was sleeping, but his flushed face and
unnatural breathing were signs of ill. Now and then he moved
restlessly, or seemed to try to speak, but no coherent words came. She
sat down to watch by him.

After Agatha and James had been brought ashore by the capable Mr. Hand,
it had needed only time to bring Agatha back to consciousness. Both
she and James had practically fainted from exhaustion, and James had
been nearly drowned, at the last minute. Agatha had been left on the
rocks to come to herself as she would, while Hand had rubbed and
pummeled and shaken James until the blood flowed again. It had flowed
too freely, indeed, at some time during his ordeal; and tiny trickles
of blood showed on his lips. Agatha, dazed and aching, was trying to
crawl up to the sand when Hand came back to her, running lightly over
the slippery rocks. They had come in on the flowing tide, which had
aided them greatly; and now Hand helped her the short distance to the
cove and mercifully let her lie, while he went back to his work for
James.

Later he had got a little bucket, used for bailing out the rowboat, and
dashed hurriedly into the thicket above after some tinkling cowbell