can't possibly. Anything else--but
not that," she said.

"It's the one thing to save my poor aunt. Miss Van Buren--Nell--I tell
you frankly, if you won't do this, she--I'm afraid she won't much longer
be Lady MacNairne."

"Good gracious! How awful!" stammered the girl.

"Tragic!" I agreed. "And for me--but I say nothing of my feelings. You
know how devoted I am to my aunt. She'll be alone in the world--with
Tibe--if you refuse to sacrifice yourself in this way for her."

Nell's face was now white and set. I felt a brute; but what was I to do?
For the sake of every one concerned, I couldn't have the L.C.P. exposed,
or be exposed myself, and the trip broken up at the last, in contumely
for all.

I hung on her lips.

"Where is Jonkheer Brederode?" she asked.

"He's on deck, too."

"And you expect me to say--before him--that----"

"He's said the same, already. Or, at least, he agreed while I said it."

"Oh! Well, I don't see how I'm to go through with it. But for Lady
MacNairne's sake, I'll--do it. Come, let's get it over."

"Wait a minute," I urged, restraining her impatience. "I must explain a
little more, first. After Sir Alec has talked with you, he'll want to
come below to the cabins, and everywhere, searching for his wife; for he
won't believe, till he's made sure with his own eyes, that she's not on
board. If you're willing that he should, I am; but don't tell him that a
person named Lady MacNairne's really with us, or I can't answer for the
consequences."

"If he comes below, he'll see her."

"That doesn't matter, as they've never met; so long as he doesn't know
her name."

"Very well, he shan't learn it from me."

"And he mustn't from Miss Rivers. Will you warn your stepsister, not
under any provocation whatever, to speak the name of Lady MacNairne?"

"I will. But why couldn't you have said Phil was engaged to Jonkheer
Brederode?"

"Robert van Buren wouldn't have stood it."

"I see. But what about him? It's no use my telling him anything; he
would go and do the opposite. He's sitting in the outer cabin, alone,
where Lady MacNairne asked him to stay and keep guard over her, while
Phyllis and I stopped beside her in the inner room.

"Dear Aunt Fay," I murmured. "If you'll just warn Miss Rivers, and tell
my aunt that she'd better be asleep when Sir Alec MacNairne peeps in,
I'll tackle your cousin."

"Come, then," said Nell.

And I followed her into that tasteful little cabin which, in the d