'Will you take this note to her?' John sat down to wait for an answer. The answer did not come by the hand of the stewardess. Edith herself timorously glanced into the saloon, and, seeing Kenyon alone, ventured in. He sprang up to meet her. 'I was afraid,' he said, 'that you had been ill.' 'No, not quite, but almost,' she answered. 'Oh, Mr. Kenyon, I have done the most terrible thing! You could not imagine that I was so bold and wicked;' and tears gathered in the eyes of the girl. Kenyon stretched out his hand to her, and she took it. 'I am afraid to stay here with you,' she said, 'for fear----' 'Oh, I know all about it,' said Kenyon. 'You cannot know about it; you surely do not know what I have done?' 'Yes, I know exactly what you've done; and we all very much admire your pluck.' 'It hasn't, surely, been the talk of the ship?' 'No, it has not; but Miss Brewster charged me with being an accomplice.' 'And you told her you were not, of course?' 'I couldn't tell her anything, for the simple reason that I hadn't the faintest idea what she was talking about; but that's how I came to know what had happened, and I am here to thank you, Miss Longworth, for your action. I really believe you have saved the sanity of my friend Wentworth. He is a different man since the incident we are speaking of occurred.' 'And have you seen Miss Brewster since?' 'Oh yes; as I was telling you, she met me on the deck. Dear me! how thoughtless of me! I had forgotten you were standing. Won't you sit down?' 'No, no; I have been in my room so long that I am glad to stand anywhere.' 'Then, won't you come up on deck with me?' 'Oh, I'm afraid,' she said. 'I am afraid of a public scene; and I am sure, by the last look I caught in that girl's eyes, she will stop at no scandal to have her revenge. I am sorry to say that I am too much of a coward to meet her. Of course, from her point of view I have done her eternal wrong. Perhaps it was wrong from anybody's point of view.' 'Miss Longworth,' said John Kenyon cordially, 'you need have no fear whatever of meeting her. She will say nothing.' 'How do you know that?' 'Oh, it is a long story. She went to the captain with her complaint, and received very little comfort there. I will tell you all about it on deck. Get a wrap and come with me.' As Kenyon gave this peremptory order, he realized that he was taking a liberty he had no right to take, and his face flushed as he wondered if Edith would resent the familiarity of his tones; but she merely looked up at him with a bright smile, and said: 'I will do, sir, as you command.' 'No, no,' said Kenyon; 'it was not a command, although it sounded like one. It was a very humble request; at least, I intended it to be such.' 'Well, I will get my wrap.' As she left for her state-room, a rousing cheer was heard from on deck. She stopped, and looked at Kenyon. 'What does that mean?' she asked.