shot upward caught the long ray of the half-risen moon, that but
darkly lighted and revealed an immensity of heaven, till all the
weltering tumult of gloom and foam was sown with a myriad lunar
rainbows.

The beauty of it almost overcame the terror with Lilian as she grasped
her mother's hand.

"It is a fit gate to enter heaven by," said John, coming to her side.
"We have done all we can," he added.

At the moment the bows dipped with a prodigious sea. Somebody forward
sang out, "She's settling, sir! she's settling, sir!" The cry ran
along the deck like fire: there was one panicstricken shriek that
followed, and the men had jumped for the boats, into which water and
provision had been already thrown. Reyburn came staggering up the
companion-way with Helen. The dingy and one of the quarter-boats were
already swamped in the wild haste: the men were crowding into the
other, which had been safely lowered.

"You brutes!" the captain shouted, "are you going to leave the women?"

"Let them come, then," answered a voice, "and make haste about it;"
and Lilian found herself drawn forward and looking over the side into
the shadow below.

"Are you going, John?" she said hurriedly.

"No, darling: it is impossible, you see, but--"

"Nor I, either," she answered quickly.

"Lilian!"

"No," she said, "no! We were to be together in life, and we shall be
in death. Oh, John, do you think I can leave you now?"

"Make haste about it," was repeated harshly from the boat.

"I am going to stay," repeated Lilian firmly.

"Here," cried Reyburn, as he drew up the ropes to bind them round
Helen's waist. "Take _her_." But the boat was already clear of the
ship and away; and he flung the ropes down again with a motion of
abhorrence, and stood leaning against the stump of the mast, where he
could hear the murmurs of John and Lilian, straining his ears to
listen, as if he must needs torment himself--to listen to those few
low, fervent whispers, with one eager to pour out the love so long
restrained, the other to receive it--both in the face of death making
the life so lately found too sweet a thing to leave.

Soon the little company remaining on the wreck had clustered around
that portion of it; the captain and Mr. Mason were near by, and
Lilian's mother sat beside her and kept her hand; Mr. Sterling, not
far off, held Helen, who lay faint with fright--faint too with many a
pang, snatched as she had been from a dream of warmth and joy