e
were a young sister of my own. I don't see how I could go back and
tell her mother that I left her here, with things in the state they
are. I only hope they may not turn out so badly as you fear; and
that, at the worst, the Moors will only hand you over as prisoners
to the Spaniards."

Bob went back to the consulate, and told Amy the result of his
conversation with Mrs. Hamber.

"I consider that has taken the responsibility off my shoulders,
Amy. You referred me to Mrs. Hamber as the lady you knew best here.
She is of opinion that, if she were your mother, she would advise
your trying to get away with me. So, now, we have only to decide
how it is to be done--that is, if you still wish to try."

"Certainly I do," the girl said. "Anything is better than waiting
here; expecting the Moors to rush in, as they did the other day,
and carry one off to prison, or kill one.

"Mr. Parrot--that is the gentleman you saw downstairs--said that
you would stay here, and ordered a room to be prepared for you; and
dinner is ready. I am sure you must be terribly hungry."

Bob remembered, now, that he had had nothing to eat--save some
biscuits on board the boat, and a piece of bread at the wine
shop--since he left Gibraltar, and that he really was desperately
hungry. Amy had already had her dinner; but she sat by him, and
they talked about their friends at the Rock.

"Now," he said, when he had finished, "let us have a regular
council of war. It was my intention to get a passage to Malaga, if
I could, because I know something of the road back from there; but
I could not do that, with you."

"Why not, Bob?"

"Because the voyage is too long. Someone would be certain to speak
to you before you got across and, as you can't talk Spanish, the
cat would be out of the bag, directly. If possible, we must manage
to cross to Tarifa. It is only a few hours across to there, even if
we go in an open boat and, now that the Spaniards are friends with
the Moors, there ought to be no difficulty in getting a passage
across there, or to Algeciras.

"Of course, you can't go as you are," he said, looking at her
rather ruefully.

"No, of course not," she said. "I am not so silly as that. I should
think I had better dress up like a boy, Bob."

"That would be a great deal the best plan, if you would not mind
it," Bob said, greatly relieved that the suggestion came from her.
"It is the only thing that I can think of. There didn't seem any
story on