ing a boat."

"Dthere ees no fear, Madame," says the Peruvian's voice outside.

I am so sleepy I gladly take his word for it, and am off again to the
Land of Nod. Mrs. Steele's voice comes to me from afar off, with some
question about a pistol, but the real soon mixes with a dream, and I
know no more.

The next morning I hear that for two hours the whole ship was in a
commotion. A drunken passenger of the intermediate class had tumbled
overboard, been sobered by his bath, and swam valiantly till the
ship's engine could be reversed and a boat lowered to his rescue. This
occupied so much time that he was sinking from exhaustion when finally
the sailors pulled him in. The passengers were in a panic during the
outcry and subsequent stoppage of the machinery. Many believed the
last hour was at hand, and appeared on deck in ascension robes, and
faces by no means expressive of joy at the immediate prospect of
Heaven. It was great fun hearing the various experiences at breakfast.
Every one had some joke on his neighbour--only the Peruvian was quiet
and rather pale. As we sat on deck in the later morning sunshine, he
said to me in German:

"You face danger bravely. I heard Madame Steele cry out last night,
but no word from you."

"Good reason for that; I was asleep nearly all the time."

"Asleep!" he repeats. "Impossible!"

"But quite true; I only heard you say there was no fear, and then I
turned over and went on with my dream."

"Ah!" he says, making the German words rumble and bristle with
emphasis, "I am happy that assurance from me could so calm and comfort
you."

"Yes," I say hypocritically, "the effect was magical; but were you
frightened?"

"Yes, I admit it. Very much. But not for myself, I hardly need
say----"

"What was that I heard about a pistol?" I interrupt, "or did I dream
it?" A faint flush passes over the Peruvian's face.

"Did you hear? I was looking to see if it was in order when Madame
Steele opened her window. I was waked very suddenly, you see, and my
neighbour was shrieking that the boiler had broken and in a moment we
would all be in Eternity. I thought of you, Fraeulein----"

"In English, please," I say, "I can't follow you in German."

He stops an instant, eying me doubtfully; a moment longer he
hesitates, and then, seeing that Mrs. Steele is busily talking of the
terrors of the night to a group of passengers, he continues in a lower
tone:

"I dthought about you, it is needless dtha