e Treherne, as her father
limped forward at the stroke of eight bells to take her below, said
to me: "How downright and thorough Mr. Hungerford is!" But I frankly
admitted that he was all she might say good of him, and more.

The deck was quickly dismantled, the lights went out, and all the
dancers disappeared. The masquerade was over; and again, through the
darkness, rose the plaintive "All's well!" And it kept ringing in my
ears until it became a mocking sound, from which I longed to be free.
It was like the voice of Lear crying over the body of Cordelia: "Never,
never, never, never, never!"

Something of Hungerford's superstitious feeling possessed me. I went
below, and involuntarily made my way to Boyd Madras's cabin.

Though the night was not hot, the door was drawn to. I tapped. His voice
at once asked who was there, and when I told him, and inquired how he
was, he said he was not ill, and asked me to come to his cabin in the
morning, if I would. I promised, and bade him good-night. He responded,
and then, as I turned away from the door, I heard him repeat the
good-night cordially and calmly.

CHAPTER VII. THE WHEEL COMES FULL CIRCLE

The next morning I was up early, and went on deck. The sun had risen,
and in the moist atmosphere the tints of sky and sea were beautiful.
Everywhere was the warm ocean undulating lazily to the vague horizon. A
few lascars were still cleansing the decks; others were seated on
their haunches between decks, eating curry from a calabash; a couple of
passengers were indolently munching oranges; and Stone the quartermaster
was inspecting the work lately done by the lascars. Stone gave me a
pleasant good-morning, and we walked together the length of the deck
forward. I had got about three-fourths of the length back again, when I
heard a cry from aft--a sharp call of "Man overboard!" In a moment I had
travelled the intermediate deck, and was at the stern, looking below,
where, in the swirling waters, was the head of a man. With cries of
"Man overboard!" I threw two or three buoys after the disappearing head,
above which a bare arm thrust itself. I heard the rush of feet behind
me, and in a moment Hungerford and Stone were beside me. The signal was
given for the engines to stop; stewards and lascars came running on deck
in response to Hungerford's call, and the first officer now appeared.
Very soon a crew was gathered on the after-deck, about a boat on the
port side.

Passengers