my smile, inexpressibly
reassuring.

"The man is hideous and repulsive," I thought; "but infinitely
preferable, somehow, to the specimen of English aristocracy and her maid
who have constituted themselves so far my guardian angels"--a twinge of
ingratitude here, which I resented instantly by settling my patriotic
prejudices to be at the root of the thing, and rebuking my mistrust
sternly though silently. "Yet that voice--how could I be mistaken?" and
again I addressed myself to the task before me, having gotten through
all preliminaries.

While I sat hesitating as to what I should say, so as to both guard
against and conceal my suspicions from the captain's scrutiny, if,
indeed, he might be supposed to possess such a quality, I observed that
he drew from his pocket a long slip of newspaper, in which he appeared
to bury himself for a time, when not glancing furtively at me, as if
waiting impatiently for the coming revelation.

"I have sent for you, Captain Van Dorne," I said, at last, in very low
and even tones, not calculated to reach outside ears, however vigilant,
and yet not suppressed by any means to whispers--"I have sent for you,"
and my heart beat quickly as I spoke, "not merely to thank you for your
hospitable kindness, but because I wish, for reasons that I cannot now
explain, to place myself under your especial care until I reach my
friends."

"Certainly, certainly; but you _air_ among your friends already if you
could only think so," he answered, evasively, still caressing his potato
knees with large and outspread hands.

"Do not for one moment deem me unmindful of much kindness, or ungrateful
to those who have bestowed it," I hastened to explain. "Yet I cannot
deny that a fear possesses me that among your passengers may be found
one whom I esteem, not without sufficient cause, my greatest enemy."

"Poor thing! poor thing! what put such a strange fancy into your head?
An enemy in my ship! Why, there is not a man on board who would not cut
off his right hand rather than harm one hair of your poor, witless,
defenseless head! There was not a dry eye on the deck when you and the
rest wuz lifted from the raft!"

"I understand this prevalence of sympathy for misfortune perfectly, and
honor it; yet I have heard a voice since my immurement in this cabin
which must belong"--and I whispered the dreaded name--"to Mr. Basil
Bainrothe!"

As I spoke I eyed him steadily, and I fancied that his cheek flushed and
h