essor, an old man and an invalid, had no strength
to resist and were helplessly carried along by the living wave.

"Stop those people!" shouted the Captain.

A gun fired into the air and the mob hesitated, then surged on,
shouting, past the lounges, to join the throngs waiting at the other
stations.

"It's no use," said Evans wearily. "Chief Thayer. Send men to all the
stations to guard the boats. You proceed to Boat E and load it first. If
any person tries to force his way in, shoot to kill!"

* * * * *

In their small cabin, Dorothy Hall raised herself on one elbow and
looked down at her sleeping husband. His hair was rumpled, his face calm
and placid.

"Tom," she whispered. "Wake up, Tom!" Mumbling sleepily, he opened his
eyes, then smiled and tried to draw her down to him.

"Wait, Tom. Did you hear the Captain's message?"

"What message?"

"I was so sleepy I didn't understand it very well. Something about the
ship, and we must all go to our lifeboats."

"You must have been dreaming. What time is it?"

"Not quite midnight. Do you think everything is all right?"

"Of course. You just had a bad dream. The _Star Lord_ can't be in any
trouble. You know that."

"Don't you think we ought to go see?"

Playfully he towsled her hair. "Trying to get away from your husband?
Tired of me already?"

Relaxing, she snuggled down beside him with a happy sigh.

"I'd never be tired of you, Tom, in a million years. Wherever you are,
that's where I want to be, always."

She closed her eyes.

* * * * *

The children were no longer afraid, and they had stopped crying. Leading
them through the maze of corridors towards Boat station F, Tanya laughed
and told them jokes until, reaching a corner, she suddenly found the
passage blocked with a screaming mass of people, fighting, gouging,
jamming the hall so that forward movement was almost impossible. She
drew back, huddling the children behind her.

"No place for us here, youngsters," she said. "Let's go back, where it
isn't so noisy."

Obediently they followed her back to the library, where she settled them
in her favorite corner and picked up the abandoned chalk and paper.

"Now Aunt Tanya will tell you a story," she said. "And if you're very
good and don't cry at all, I'll even draw you some pictures to go with
the story. Once upon a time...."

* * * * *

There was not