l soon forget. All will be as it was
before!"

She maintained her obstinate silence.

"Do I not speak true words?" Garth challenged.

She evaded the question. "If you go out, you send the police after him,"
she muttered.

He saw Mabyn's hand here. "I will not," he said quickly. "I give you my
word on that!"

She looked at him incredulously. She did not understand the pledge.

"There's my hand on it," said Garth, offering it.

Rina gravely laid her own in it, and let him wag it up and down. This
form of binding an agreement she knew.

Still she had not committed herself to anything; and Garth paused,
determined to make her speak before he went on.

She favoured him at last with a walled glance purely savage. "Let
'Erbe't go off the island," she said indifferently. Clearly she asked it
more with the idea to see what he would say, than with any hope of his
agreeing.

"I will not do that," said Garth firmly. "Night and day he would be
plotting to kill me. Night and day he would be driving you on to do it
for him. You would try to do it. You cannot say no to him! And if you
did bring me down--" Garth sunk his voice--"all, _all_ would be
lost!--Mabyn and you and Natalie and I!"

Her eyes sought his with a poignant glance; and she paled again. He felt
he had made an impression.

"I will treat him kindly," he said, seeking to follow up his advantage.
"You shall go to the shack now for everything he needs; and we will take
it to him."

"Can I spik with him?" asked Rina in a low tone.

Garth rejoiced--it was the first token of submission. "For five minutes
by my watch," he said.

XIX

GRYLLS REDIVIVUS

On the next day but one Natalie's condition took a sharp turn for the
worse; and for many days thereafter, Garth put every other thought out
of his head. She fell into a high fever and suffered incessantly and
cruelly. At this call, Rina showed forth in colours wholly admirable;
day or night she seldom left her patient's side; she was never at a loss
what to do; and Garth comforted himself with the thought that Natalie
could scarcely have had better care anywhere.

During these busy days Rina appeared to forget her own heartache in a
measure; and never once on the occasion of their daily trip to the
island (Garth forcing her to accompany him) did she again express a wish
to speak to Mabyn. At their approach Mabyn always retreated; and they
were accustomed to set his rations down on the shore and imm