ell understand the situation. Death by starvation stares us in
the face."

Grace interrupted him by an outburst of hysterical weeping. Weakened
physically by exertion and exposure, her nerves overwrought by terror
and suspense, little wonder that at last she gave way. She sobbed like a
child, a piteous passion of tears that would have melted a heart of
stone. She didn't care for herself. She was ready to die. But she was
sorry for Daddy and her poor mother. They would grieve for her and it
would break their hearts. She shuddered as she thought of the shocking
fate which had befallen her recent companions on the ship.

"Perhaps some of them got away in the boats," she gasped between her
tears.

"Maybe they did," he replied, with an indifferent shrug of his
shoulders. With a gesture of impatience he added curtly: "It's no use
crying. That won't do any good. What you need most is to get out of
those wet clothes. You're soaked to the skin."

"I have no others to put on," ruefully she replied, making an effort to
sit up and squeezing the water out of her skirt. She thought with dismay
of all her precious belongings forever lost at the bottom of the sea.
Fortunately, her pearls were saved. The necklace was still round her
throat.

"Look!" she said, holding the necklace up so he could see it. "At least
we have these. They are worth $40,000."

He laughed derisively.

"They're worth nothing where there's no one to buy them," he growled.
Then, impatiently, he said: "Don't waste your time bothering about that.
What you want to do is to take those clothes off right away. Then you'll
dry them and put them on again. You can't remain any longer in wet
clothes."

He spoke authoritatively, with the commanding air of one who intends to
be obeyed. She was in no mood to argue the matter. Besides, he was
right. She was already chilled and ran the danger of getting pneumonia
unless she dried her clothes quickly; but how could she change
them--with no fire to dry her things and with this man coming in and
out? He saw her embarrassment and intuitively guessed the reason. He was
still in the shadow, but she fancied she noticed a covert smile hovering
about his mouth, and she immediately took a dislike to him, in spite of
the service he had rendered her. His manner was overbearing--almost
insolent. Again, there was something about him that reminded her of a
man she had known or seen, but still she could not remember. Turning to
her, h