en able to bring my whole weight and strength to bear.
Presently I felt the door move, ever so little; I had started it, and
after some minutes of strenuous heaving I managed to force it so far
open that, with a little tight squeezing, I might push myself through
the aperture. This I did, having first asked permission; and, once
inside the room, I managed to shift the blockading wardrobe without very
much difficulty, and so to release the imprisoned lady.

When I had hooked back the door, so that the way was open, Mrs
Vansittart turned to me and said:

"Thank you, ever so much, Walter! And now, tell me, what dreadful thing
has happened? We are stranded, are we not, and--What is the matter with
your head? You are bleeding! Tell me the worst, Walter! Whatever it
is, I believe I can bear it."

"To confess the truth, madam," I said, "I scarcely know yet what is the
full extent of our misfortune. That the ship is ashore--on a coral
reef, as I believe--and totally dismasted, is certain; and I fear that
that is not the worst of it. Julius tells me that we four are the only
survivors of the entire ship's company, but I can hardly believe that.
There must be some of the crew left somewhere in the ship, although I
saw no sign of them when I came here from my cabin. Probably I should
not have been here now but for the fact that when the ship struck I was
hurled out of my bunk with such violence that I was stunned; and it was
Julius who found and revived me. With your permission, I will now take
a thorough look round, and then return to you with my report."

"Please do so," assented Mrs Vansittart. "Search the ship thoroughly
from end to end, and then let me know exactly how matters stand. I am
sure it cannot be anything like so bad as you say. Some of the poor
fellows may have been, indeed probably were, swept away by those awful
seas that broke over the ship when she first struck; but all of them!
Oh, no, it cannot be so bad as that; it would be too terrible!"

"I will go at once," I said. "But I beg that you will prepare yourself
for bad news; for, from what I saw on deck just now, on my way here, I
am afraid my report will be a very distressing one."

Therewith I hurried away, for I saw that the poor lady was quite
overwhelmed, and would probably be relieved to find herself alone for a
time. I searched the ship thoroughly, penetrating to every part of her
in which it was possible for a man to hide himself, b