xperienced a
shiver of dread as she observed that he stepped on board the tender.
She even heard him call back to his friend to expect him in from
Singapore during the second week in March. But the dread went away,
and pride and anger grew instead. All the way back to the ship she
held her chin in the air, and from time to time her nostrils dilated.
That look! If she had been nearer she was certain that she would have
struck him across the face.

"There will be no one up in the bow," said Warrington. "Will you go up
there with me?"

After a moment's hesitation, she nodded.

The Lascars, busy with the anchor-chains, demurred; but a word and a
gesture from the Sahib who had turned the hose on a drunken man
convinced them that the two would not be in the way. A clatter of
steel against steel presently followed, the windlass whined and
rattled, and Elsa saw the anchor rise slowly from the deeps, bringing
up a blur of muddy water; and blobs of pale clay dripped from the
anchor-flukes. A moment after she felt the old familiar throb under
her feet, and the ship moved slowly out of the bay.

"Do you know that that man came aboard?"

"I know it." The wide half-circle of cocoanut palms grew denser and
lower as they drew away. "This is the story. It's got to be told. I
should have avoided it if it had been possible. He is the owner of the
plantation. Oh, I rather expected something like this. It's my run of
luck. I was just recovering from the fever. God knows how he found
out, but he did. It was during the rains. He told me to get out that
night. Didn't care whether I died on the road or not. I should have
but for my boy James. The man sent along with us a poor discarded
woman, of whom he had grown tired. She died when we reached town. I
had hardly any money. He refused to pay me for the last two months,
about fifty pounds. There was no redress for me. There was no
possible way I could get back at him. Miss Chetwood, I took money that
did not belong to me. It went over gaming-tables. Craig. I ran away.
Craig knows and this man Mallow knows. Can you not see the wisdom of
giving me a wide berth?"

"Oh, I am sorry!" she cried.

"Thanks. But you see: I am an outcast. To-night, not a soul on board
will be in ignorance of who I am and what I have done. Trust Craig and
Mallow for that. Thursday we shall be in Singapore. You must not
speak to me again. Give them to understand that you have fou