to
know what when the door opened, and Nell came in without her coat and
hat.

She eyed Mr. Starr reproachfully. "Oh, you promised to ask Robert to go
back with you to the pier," she said. "Has he gone by himself?"

"I don't--" Mr. Starr had begun guiltily, still sitting beside me on the
sofa, when her cousin appeared on the threshold. He was very pale, and
looked so grave that I thought some bad news must have come. Nell
thought so, too, for she took a step toward him as he paused in the open
doorway----

"You've--heard nothing?" she stammered.

"Poor Rudolph," he began; but at the sound of such a beginning she put
out her hands as if to ward off a ghost, and her face was so death-like
I was frightened lest she was going to faint. Then, suddenly, it
changed, and lit up. I never saw her so beautiful as she was at that
moment. She gave a cry of joy, and the next instant our handsome brown
skipper had pushed pass Mr. van Buren at the door, and had both her
hands in his.

He was dripping with water. Even his hair was so wet that I saw for the
first time it was curly.

"Oh, I'm so glad, so glad!" faltered Nell. "Robert said 'poor Rudolph!'
and I thought----"

"I was only going to say poor Rudolph had had a bad night of it," broke
in Mr. van Buren; but I don't think either of them heard.

"Were you anxious about me? Did you care?" asked Jonkheer Brederode.

That seemed to call Nell back to herself. "I was anxious about
'Lorelei,'" she said. "You've brought her back all right?"

"Yes, and 'Waterspin,'" he answered, with the joy gone out of his voice.
"We had rough weather to fight against, but we've come to no harm." He
turned to me wistfully. "Had you a thought to spare for the skipper once
or twice to-day, Miss Rivers?"

I was so grieved for him that, before I knew what I was saying, I
exclaimed----

"Why, I've thought of nothing else!"

I put out my hand to him, and he shook it as if he never meant to let it
go.

"How good you are," he said warmly.

And I didn't dare look at Mr. van Buren, for the idea came to me that
maybe he would not now believe what I had told him a little while ago.

* * * * * *

This morning I scolded Nell before our chaperon for her coldness to
Jonkheer Brederode, when he had done so much for her.

"How could you," I asked, "when the poor fellow seemed so pleased to
think you cared? It was cruel."

"I didn't _want_ him to think I cared," Nell