ea of a charming cottage by the sea, and all its
little unluxurious elegancies, and call up in its place the h-h-horrors
of that village-nest--pig-sty--of the dreadful buccaneers? But it can't
be helped now," added Miss Pritty, with a resigned shudder, "and we have
the greatest reason to be thankful that their hope of a good ransom made
them treat us as well as they did;--but go on, dear, you were saying
that it was fortunate that these p-pirates--"

"That they did not sell the jewels or take any of them out of the box,
or send them into the other prow which was sunk in deep water, where the
divers could not have gone down to recover them."

"Very true," assented Miss Pritty.

At this point the cabin door again burst open, and the amiable
stewardess appeared, bearing two cups of fresh tea, which she watched
with the eyes of a tigress and the smile of an angel, while her body
kept assuming sudden, and one would have thought impossible, attitudes.

"Now, ladies, _do_ try some tea. Really you must. I insist on it.
Why, you'll both die if you don't."

Impressed with the force of this reasoning, both ladies made an effort,
and got up on their respective elbows. They smiled incredulously at
each other, and then, becoming suddenly grave, fell flat down on their
backs, and remained so for some time without speaking.

"Now, try again; do try, it will do you so much good--really."

Thus adjured they tried again and succeeded. Aileen took one sip of
tea, spilt much of the rest in thrusting it hurriedly into the ready
hands of the all but ubiquitous stewardess, and fell over with her face
to the wall. Miss Pritty looked at her tea for a few seconds,
earnestly. The stewardess, not being quite ubiquitous, failed to catch
the cup as it was wildly held towards her. Miss Pritty therefore
capsized the whole affair over her bed-clothes, and fell back with a
deadly groan.

The stewardess did not lose temper. She was used to such things. If
Miss Pritty had capsized her intellect over the bed-clothes, the
stewardess would only have smiled, and wiped it up with a napkin.

"You'll be better soon, Miss," said the amiable woman, as she retired
with the debris.

The self-acting door shut her out with a bang of contemptuous mockery,
and the poor ladies were once more left alone in their misery.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

TAKING THE TIDE AT THE EBB.

When things in this world reach their lowest ebb, it is generally
underst