ister's hands for the present.

CHAPTER XI

A Woman of Business

"What is the trouble, Miss Radford?"

Katherine started. She had been so busy in packing baking powder,
tobacco, currants, and things of that description into a box for
the fisher from Long Island Sound that she had not heard the
approach of Jervis Ferrars, who wore list slippers, and so made but
little noise in walking. The long hard day which had held so many
momentous happenings was wearing to a close, and so far she had
found no chance at all to speak to the stranger about what he had
to fear. Mrs. Burton had begged him with tears in her eyes to stay
a few days to help them in looking after their father, and Jervis
Ferrars had accepted with such evident pleasure at the prospect
that Katherine had troubled no further then, and had devoted
herself to the many things which called for her attention.

Her father still lay in the condition of absolute unconsciousness
into which he had fallen at first, and Mr. Ferrars did not think
there would be much change for a few days. He also did not
apprehend any immediate danger, and they all took courage from
this. Sickness and incapacity did not daunt them; but it was death
the separator of whom they were all so much afraid.

"I did not hear you come," Katherine said.

"No, my footgear is not noisy, as befits a sickroom; but then my
steps are not sprightly either, so you might have heard me
slouching across the floor if you had not been so absorbed in the
matter in hand. What is it you want to tell me?" he asked, with a
quick change of tone.

"You had better not go back to the house of Oily Dave again," she
began in a rather breathless style.

"Very much better not, I should say," he answered. "But why?"

"You have come to watch the fishing in the interest of Mr.
Selincourt, have you not?" she asked.

"Yes, the old company complained of considerable leakage in
profits, you see; indeed it was on this account that they decided
the fleet was an unworkable scheme for a company, and were willing
to sell to Mr. Selincourt."

Katherine nodded, then said in a low tone: "But your position will
make you enemies, and I have been warned to-day that it is
positively dangerous for you to remain in the house with that man."

"Did this warning reach you before you came to rescue me this
morning, or since?" he asked quickly.

"Since. We did not even know that you were there."

"Well, it is a comfort