ary for him to treat her as such,
to give her a satisfactory and rational explanation. But he had the
cunning of that partial madness induced by the drug. He meant to have
that cunning stimulated to even a greater degree. For even while the
girl was speaking, he contrived to arrange another charge for the
hypodermic. To avoid attracting her attention, he did not even roll up
his sleeve to insert the point into his flesh. Instead, he inserted it
through coat and shirt. In an emergency such as this, he had no need for
the aseptic niceties characteristic of his profession. He had no thought
of bacteria from the cloth to infect the wound. His sole concern was to
feel within him the increased thrill of the morphia. His nerves must be
at their best to combat the inquisitiveness of this intelligent young
woman, now in the possession of her normal mind. He understood perfectly
that his narrative of events must contain such a skillful mingling of
truth and falsehood as to leave her without any doubt whatsoever
concerning his own integrity. Otherwise, there must come disgrace for
himself, the ruin of his career. He spoke then suavely, genially even.

"Right you are, Miss Ethel. You were kidnapped--taken miles and miles
from your home. I trust you are strong enough now to hear the
story--properly censored--that I have to tell you. I think, though, it
will be sufficient, for the time being, to inform you that you are now
absolutely safe. I regret to advise you that _The Isabel_ is no more.
She was driven on the rocks, and is a total wreck. Yet, perhaps, it is
better so. Your kidnapper was trying to run out into the open sea when
the tempest was such that no yacht of such tonnage could have endured
the fury of the waves. So the wreck probably saved your life, for you
were rescued unharmed with the exception of a mild concussion of the
brain, which left you unconscious for some time. And you may be glad
now, since you have aroused from the stupor, that you have no memory of
the many harrowing scenes connected with this affair. I also was
rescued, and am doing my utmost to return you to your friends safe and
sound. To-night, we're going northward on the waters of Core Sound, off
the North Carolina mainland. The great sand dunes of Core Banks, which
you have admired so many times in passing through these waters while
cruising with your father, are just visible off the starboard bow in the
moonlight. Off the port bow are many tiny lights