nd one must be prepared, all the more that the ship has been more
severely strained on the reef than I had thought. Would Miss Pauline be
prepared," he added in a lower tone, "to receive the deputation this
afternoon?"

"Yes, she is quite prepared," returned Dominick, in the same low tone,
"though she is much perplexed, not being able to understand what can be
wanted of her. Is it so profound a secret that I may not know it?"

"You shall both know it in good time," the mate replied, as he turned to
give fresh directions to the man at the wheel.

That afternoon the assembly in the cabin could hardly be styled a
deputation, for it consisted of as many of the emigrants as could
squeeze in. It was led by Joe Binney, who stood to the front with a
document in his hand. Pauline, with some trepidation and much surprise
expressed on her pretty face, was seated on the captain's chair, with an
extra cushion placed thereon to give it a more throne-like dignity. She
was supported by Dominick on one side and Otto on the other.

Joe advanced a few paces, stooping his tall form, partly in reverence
and partly to avoid the deck-beams. Clearing his throat, and with a
slightly awkward air, he read from the document as follows:--

"Dear Miss Pauline, may it please yer majesty, for we all regards you
yet as our lawful queen, I've bin appinted, as prime minister of our
community--which ain't yet broke up--to express our wishes, likewise our
sentiments."

"That's so--go it, Joe," broke in a soft whisper from Teddy Malone.

"We wishes, first of all," continued the premier, "to say as how we're
very sorry that your majesty's kingdom has bin blowed up an' sunk to the
bottom o' the sea," ("Worse luck!" from Mrs Lynch),--"but we
congratulate you an' ourselves that we, the people, are all
alive,"--("an' kickin'," softly, from Malone--"Hush!" "silence!" from
several others),--"an' as loyal an' devoted as ever we was." ("More
so," and "Hear, hear!"). "Since the time you, Queen Pauline, took up
the reins of guvermint, it has bin plain to us all that you has done
your best to rule in the fear o' God, in justice, truthfulness, an'
lovin' kindness. An' we want to tell you, in partikler, that your
readin's out of the Bible to us an' the child'n--which was no part o'
your royal dooty, so to speak--has done us all a power o' good, an'
there was some of us big uns as needed a lot o' good to be done us, as
well as the child'n--" ("Sure an' tha