sed confused mental
pictures of the extraordinary happenings of the last forty-eight
hours--the dance on the deck, the sudden storm, the shock as the great
liner struck the sunken reef, the rush for the life-boats, her fall into
the water and the long swim until she came to herself on this island and
recognized the refractory stoker, Armitage, as her rescuer. She wondered
if he was really as black as he had been painted. If he was, she had
seen nothing of his bad qualities. He was only a stoker--a superior one
to be sure, from his conversation and knowledge of things--and so far he
had behaved like a gentleman.

She wondered what she would do if suddenly he forced his way in now and
attacked her. Would she scream, or faint, or do any of the hysterical
things a woman is supposed to do in such circumstances? Her mind dwelt
upon his personal appearance. She recalled how handsome, and graceful,
and strong he looked as he came along the beach at a swinging gait,
bringing to her that greatly needed breakfast, which she had devoured
with such appetite. From him, her thoughts traveled homeward. She saw
her poor mother and father grieving for her, and her supposed loss the
sensation of the hour in their immediate circle of friends. Then her
thoughts grew mixed and confused. Her breathing grew more regular, her
bosom rose and fell with rhythmic motion, her brain ceased thinking. She
was asleep.

* * * * *

The long hours of the night passed slowly. Her slumber had been as
peaceful and profound as that of a child when, about three o'clock, she
suddenly awoke with a start. At first she believed she was still in her
luxurious stateroom on board the _Atlanta_, but the rough couch, the
prickly points of which punctured her thin garment, and the splash of
the surf outside rudely reminded her of her misfortune.

She wondered what had interrupted her sleep. It was still pitch-dark and
everything was quiet, yet she was wide-awake with every sense and nerve
alert and tense. Like most persons who awake suddenly in the middle of
the night without being able to explain the cause, she was at once
seized with nervous dread. Something was wrong.

Hastily, fearfully she glanced around, but her eyes were unable to
penetrate the opaque darkness that surrounded her. The faint light that
came from the cave entrance only served to make the shadows deeper. She
strained her ears, but heard no sound. Yet she could not