Without claiming all the credit in so many words, Lamia Leegh had left the impression on the minds of her hearers that she herself had been the principal, if not the only, benefactress of Jennie Montgomery, and she won applause for her benevolence. When Kightly Montgomery left his wife seated on the deck it was with a feeling of relief to get out of her presence. He hurried to his stateroom, looked around, and felt more relief to find that his deceived bride was absent. He kept a private stock of strong old brandy in a case. He opened a bottle, poured out half a goblet full, and drank it at a draught. Then he felt better still. “She will keep her word,” he said to himself. “If she had intended to give me away, she would have done so before this. Any man would have denounced another under such circumstances. But these women are inexplicable. I wonder if her child was born alive? I wonder if it is living, and if she has it with her, or if she has placed it in some asylum? Impossible to say. She volunteers no information on the subject, and I certainly cannot question her about it. She wishes me to avoid her. I am quite willing to oblige her in that particular. I very much do not wish to see her again. No, nor her father! I must not meet the dominie, under present complications. It would be awkward. I shall shirk that _rencontre_ by getting off the steamer at Queenstown and taking the mail route to London via Kingstown and Holyhead. That will do!” He filled and drank another half goblet of brandy, and then sat staring at his boots. Presently Lamia Leegh entered the stateroom. He looked up at her stupidly. His face was flushed, his eyes were fishy. The air was full of the smell of brandy. She knew that he had been drinking to intoxication; but she cared too little for him and too much for herself to notice this. He might drink himself to death, if he pleased, without any interference from her, so that he supplied her with plenty of money while he lived and left her a rich dower when he should die. So, without seeming to notice his state, she sat down on the sofa by him and said, very pleasantly: “You remember hearing me speak of that interesting young woman from the Samaritan Hospital for whom we furnished an outfit and engaged a stateroom in this cabin to send her home to her people?” “What young woman? Ah! yes, I believe I do. What of her?” he drawled, with assumed indifference. “I have just seen her and her child——” “Child?” he echoed involuntarily. “Yes; I told you she had a child, you remember.” “Aw—no—I didn’t.”