and each stood
to his place as firmly as the captain, himself.

The fire brigade was promptly at work, by detachments, in all three
places, with bucket and hose; the engineers, though lightnings played
fiercely about their ironwork and electrical apparatus, stood manfully
by, knowing they were looking death in the face, but exemplifying
Paul's command, "Quit ye like men; be strong."

Even the passengers needed only the restraint of voice and gesture. No
threats, nor bars, except for a moment among the steerage people, had
been necessary. The discipline was perfect.

After a short space, that could not be measured by the clock so intense
and strained had it been, there was a lessening of the enveloping
flashes, instantaneous thunder, and crashing timbers, and, though the
wind was blowing fiercely and the vessel lurching and shivering beneath
their feet, they could feel an appreciable lifting of the tension. The
worst was over.

But the exciting sounds of the fire fighters did not cease, and the
whisper ran around that, though one of the outbursts had been subdued,
the others were in a lower part of the vessel, one especially being
most difficult to get at, and that the constant sound of chopping, now
audible since the fiercer snapping of masts and spars had ceased, was
caused by cutting away certain portions of the woodwork necessary
before it could be reached by the firemen. If it should take long to
reach it, what would be the result?

Mr. Carnegie, at this, started up, and seemed about to go outside, when
Faith's soft voice arrested him.

"Father wished us all to stay here," she said reproachfully.

He turned back, with a movement full of agonized uncertainty.

"I know," he murmured, "but--"

He stood irresolute, with his perplexed face turning from the outer
door to her own up-looking eyes.

"And if he needs you he certainly will let you know," she added, with
some asperity.

He smiled, and reseated himself beside her.

"You are right, as usual, Miss Faith. He certainly knows--"

"Knows what?" she asked at length, as his sentence remained unfinished.

"Knows that I am here and ready," he returned, with a smile, but she
noticed that his eyes often sought the door, and his manner was that of
one alert for action.

The women, who had children asleep in the staterooms, had run to them
with the first alarm, and these, with the ayahs and babies, now began
creeping back into the saloon, longing for