"But, monsieur--" Madame Flambard began to remonstrate.

"Oh, it does not matter about her being wet a bit," Leigh said.
"The great thing is to bring her round.

"There, she is opening her eyes. I never saw her faint before. She
is not that sort."

At this moment, there was a joyous shout from the skipper:

"It is Captain Martin, himself! Hurrah, boys! It is the captain."

The crew broke into joyous shouts.

"It is Jean, Patsey," Leigh said, sharply. "Thank God, it is he.

"Steady, steady!" he added, as his sister suddenly sat up, and held
out her arms to be lifted to her feet. "Are you all right, dear? He
will not be alongside for some little time. Don't try to get up for
a minute or two."

As Madame Flambard supported her, he ran down into the cabin,
poured out a little brandy and water, and ran upstairs again with
the glass.

"There, dear, drink this. You must be strong enough to greet him,
as he comes alongside."

She drank it up, and then he helped her to her feet. She stood
leaning on the rail, but unable to see the boat through her tears.
Leigh ran up a few of the ratlines and waved his cap and, two or
three minutes later, the whole crew, clustered along the side,
raised a loud cheer as the boat came near.

Patsey held out her arms to Jean, who had, after his first eager
signal, dropped back into his seat; and sat there, with his face
covered in his hands, until within two or three hundred yards of
the lugger. Then he had stood up again. He waved his cap in reply
to the cheers of the crew, but his eyes were fixed upon Patsey.

[Illustration: For two or three minutes, husband and wife stood
together.]

As the boat came alongside he sprang on to the channel, swung
himself over the rail, Patsey falling into his arms as his feet
touched the deck. The others all drew back and, for two or three
minutes, husband and wife stood together. Then Jean, placing Patsey
in a chair, turned and embraced Leigh warmly.

"I felt sure that you would bring her back safely," he said. "I
never allowed myself to doubt it, for a minute; and as soon as I
made the lugger out, from the height there, I was sure that she was
on board; and ran down to the coast guard station, and Captain
Whittier and the crew were in her, in a couple of minutes.

"Where is Louis?"

"Here he is!" Monsieur Flambard said, coming forward with the child
in his arms.

Louis knew his father at once, and greeted him with a little shout
of pleasu