nt
fashion in these regions, with a half-angle of moonlight and shadow
lying within its dusky depths. Mara listened a moment,--no sound: he had
gone to bed then. "Poor boy," she said, "I hope he is asleep; how he
must feel, poor fellow! It's all the fault of those dreadful men!" said
the little dark shadow to herself, as she stole up the stairs past his
room as guiltily as if she were the sinner. Once the stairs creaked, and
her heart was in her mouth, but she gained her room and shut and bolted
the door. She kneeled down by her little white bed, and thanked God
that she had come in safe, and then prayed him to teach her what to do
next. She felt chilly and shivering, and crept into bed, and lay with
her great soft brown eyes wide open, intently thinking what she should
do.

Should she tell her grandfather? Something instinctively said No; that
the first word from him which showed Moses he was detected would at once
send him off with those wicked men. "He would never, never bear to have
this known," she said. Mr. Sewell?--ah, that was worse. She herself
shrank from letting him know what Moses had been doing; she could not
bear to lower him so much in his eyes. He could not make allowances, she
thought. He is good, to be sure, but he is so old and grave, and doesn't
know how much Moses has been tempted by these dreadful men; and then
perhaps he would tell Miss Emily, and they never would want Moses to
come there any more.

"What shall I do?" she said to herself. "I must get somebody to help me
or tell me what to do. I can't tell grandmamma; it would only make her
ill, and she wouldn't know what to do any more than I. Ah, I know what I
will do,--I'll tell Captain Kittridge; he was always so kind to me; and
he has been to sea and seen all sorts of men, and Moses won't care so
much perhaps to have him know, because the Captain is such a funny man,
and don't take everything so seriously. Yes, that's it. I'll go right
down to the cove in the morning. God will bring me through, I know He
will;" and the little weary head fell back on the pillow asleep. And as
she slept, a smile settled over her face, perhaps a reflection from the
face of her good angel, who always beholdeth the face of our Father in
Heaven.

CHAPTER XXII

A FRIEND IN NEED

Mara was so wearied with her night walk and the agitation she had been
through, that once asleep she slept long after the early breakfast hour
of the family. She was surprise