with an amazed
expression.

"_Did_ he jump overboard, honest-true, hanging on to that spike?"

Neither Aleck nor Agatha could say, nor yet Mr. Chamberlain, who had
been searching the yacht. Wherever it was, the rusty marlinespike had
disappeared. The rowboat, too, had gone into the darkness. Jim got
up, dazedly thinking for a moment that it was necessary for him to give
chase, but he quickly sat down on the sail-cloth again, overcome with
faintness and a dark pall before his eyes.

"You are not hurt badly?" The voice was still tender, and it was all
for him! As Jim heard it, the pall lifted, and his buoyant spirit came
back to its own. He laughed ringingly.

"Lord, no, not hurt. But--"

"But what? What did you wish to say?"

"Is it true? Are you here, by me, to stay?"

For answer she pressed his hand to her lips.

Aleck and Chamberlain, once assured that Jim was safe, went below to
make a search, and Jim and Agatha were left together on the sail-cloth.
As they sat there, a young moon shone out delicately in the west, and
dropped quickly down after the lost sun.

"It's the first moon we've seen together!" said Jim.

"But we've watched the dawn."

"Ah, yes; and such a dawn!"

Little by little, as they sat together, the story of the fight came
out. Jim told it bit by bit, not eager. When it was done, Agatha was
still puzzled. "Why should he come here? What could he do here?"

"I don't know, though we shall probably find out soon enough. But I
don't care, now that you are here."

"James, dear, will you forgive me for this afternoon?"

"I'll forgive you if you'll take it all back, hide, hoofs and horns,
for ever 'n ever, amen."

"I take it back. I never meant it."

"Then may one ask why--"

"Oh, James, I don't know why."

Anybody could have told them that it was only a phase of feminine panic
in the face of the unknown, necessary as sneezing. But, as Jim said,
it didn't matter.

"Never mind. Only I don't want you to marry me because you found me
here all bluggy and pitied me."

"James! To talk like that! You know it wasn't--"

"Then, what was it?" Jim, suddenly grown serpent-like in craft, turned
his well-known ingenuous and innocent expression upon her.

"The moment you left me, up there in the pine grove, I knew I couldn't
do without you."

"How did you know?"

"Because--"

"Yes, because--" Jim prompted her.

"Oh, Jimsy, you know."

"No, I don't."

Agatha, lovin