t for a moment;
then I entered the cabin. Justine Caron, a delicate but warm-faced girl
of little more than twenty, was sitting on the cabin sofa, her head
supported against the wall, and her hand wound in a handkerchief
soaked in blood. Her dress and the floor were also stained. I undid the
handkerchief and found an ugly wound in the palm of the hand. I called
the steward, and sent him to my dispensary for some necessaries; then
I asked her how it happened. At the moment I saw the cause--a broken
bottle lying on the floor. "The ship rolled," she said. "The bottle fell
from the shelf upon the marble washstand, and, breaking, from there to
the floor. Madame caught at my arm to save herself from falling; but I
slipped, and was cut on the bottle--so."

As she ended there was a knock, but the curtain was not drawn, and Mrs.
Falchion's voice was heard. "My dress is stained, Justine."

The half-fainting girl weakly replied: "I am very sorry, madame,
indeed."

To this Mrs. Falchion rejoined: "When you have been attended to, you
may go to bed, Justine. I shall not want you again to-night. But I shall
change my dress. It is so unpleasant; I hate blood. I hope you will be
well in the morning."

To this Justine replied: "Ah, madame, I am sorry. I could not help it;
but I shall be quite well in the morning, I am sure." Then she added
quietly to me: "The poor madame! She will not see suffering. She hates
pain. Sickness troubles her. Shall I be able to use my hand very soon,
monsieur?"

There was a wistful look in her eyes, and guessing why it was there, I
said: "Yes, soon, I hope--in a few days, no doubt."

Her face lighted up, and she said: "Madame likes about her people who
are happy and well." Then, as if she might have said too much, she
hurriedly added: "But she is very kind;" and, stooping down quickly, her
face whitening with the effort, she caught up the broken glass and threw
it through the port-hole into the sea.

A half-hour later I went on deck, and found Mrs. Falchion comfortably
seated in her deck-chair. I brought a stool over, and sat down beside
her. To this hour the quickness with which I got upon friendly terms
with her astonishes me.

"Justine is better?" she said, and her hand made a slight motion of
disgust.

"Yes. She was not dangerously hurt, of course."

"Let us change the subject, please. They are going to have a fancy-dress
ball on board, I believe, before we get to Aden. How tiresome! Isn't it