help us?"

Katherine was silent, and before the eyes of her mind there arose
the picture of that moment before the two big fragments of ice
collided, the moment which enabled Jervis Ferrars and herself to
get into the boat. But for that pause in the destruction of the
ice island it was more than probable that neither she nor the
stranger would have been there at all. Of this she said nothing.
Nellie had quite enough to bear without being frightened by
tragedies which had not happened.

"I am afraid we brought you in a fearful lot of water," Katherine
said.

"It will soon be wiped up, and the floor none the worse. That poor
Mr. Ferrars had no boots or stockings on; his feet were merely
swathed in towels. I have sent Miles with warm water to help him
put them comfortable; and now there is someone in the store. Dear,
can you go? I don't know where Phil is."

"I will go. But what about Father?" Katherine asked, lingering.

"You can do nothing for him, and he is as comfortable as it is
possible to make him at present," Mrs. Burton replied. Then
Katherine hurried away, for business must be attended to whatever
disasters menaced the family peace and happiness.

The customer was a man from one of the fishing boats, which was
preparing to leave the river directly the barrier of ice at the
mouth gave way. He wanted more stores than could be immediately
supplied, and promised to come back for them later.

"I saw you'd got the Englishman in your boat when you came up
river; I thought he looked pretty sick," remarked the fisher, who
was a Yankee from Long Island Sound.

"His feet are bad, which is not wonderful when one remembers his
journey from Maxokama," Katherine answered, wishing that the man
would go, so that she might go back to her father.

But this he seemed in no hurry to do, and with a cautious look
round to make sure no one was within earshot, he leaned over the
counter and asked in a confidential tone: "Can you keep a secret,
Miss?"

"I think so, but I am not very fond of them," she answered, drawing
back with a repressive air, for the man's manner was more familiar
than she cared for.

"Well, it's this then; the Englishman is likely to go on getting
sicker still if he keeps lodging at Oily Dave's hotel. Do you twig
my meaning?"

"No, certainly not," Katherine answered; then a shiver crept over
her, because of the sinister interpretation which might be put to
the words.

"I don't want to be