knew.

'He takes his way for no asking or need of mine,' he declared gruffly;
'and he might use his strength to better purpose.'

'Christian outdone!'

'No,' Christian said, 'I think not. No, none say so.'

He stretched wearily, sighed, and, laying his head down on his arms,
slept profoundly. They exchanged woful looks.

'Poor lad, poor lad!' said the old man brokenly.

'Ah, yes; he bested the lot: in rowing hardly, in swimming easily. Oh,
don't ask! it was pretty bad. Bad! Oh, good Lord, but it makes one man
sweat again to look back on it.

'Oh! God damn their greedy eyes! Yet some few of our lot turned fair
ashamed of their own handiwork; and when one brute of the Islands
said--no matter what, but his own fellows muttered shame--and Philip
would have struck him, yonder poor fool knocked up his arm quick.

'Yes, Philip, girl! and I tell you I saw no hate: and he looked long and
close too.'

Stirless in sleep, Christian offered remonstrance to nerves that quivered
under the halting tale.

'The worst? no, the worst was after the young fools in their cups got
heady. And in the end--well, the end of all was that Philip floored his
man. And that should have been Christian's business, and he would not
stir, though I nudged him to be up and at such foul jests. "I have heard
nothing unfit," he says. And I wished I were underground. I never want to
foot the quay again. Poor lad! ay, and poor spirit! the very man of him
has got flawed.'

'No,' said Lois painfully, 'however it came he did worthily, up to his
name.'

Giles closed his mouth, but shook his head mournfully, and Rhoda drew to
him.

This fell when late gales were closing the season to the coral fishers.
Little more than a week after, Christian came back with his broken arm.

Then want came looming straight ahead. Every due was paid, but none knew
by what hard stinting, for resolute pride uttered no plea, and hid every
sign. That the waning life of Giles should suffer from no lack, the
others fared the harder. A haggard Christian, befitting a chastened lot,
drew no comment; and if Rhoda grew a little pale, and Lois shrunk and
grey, known cares they had for allowance, barring any guess at scant
bread.

The hardest of trials to a willing, strong man met Christian when,
re-knit and sound, he offered for work and found that no man would hire
him. His strange ill-luck cut him off from fellowship, so strong was the
suspicion that a malignant influence had