fifteen minutes, Eve said, "It is--it is insupportable!" "You feel it because you have not slept. You haven't slept at all since we started," said Cicely, mentioning the fact, but without evident interest in it. "Yes I have," responded Eve, quickly. There came another tremendous clash. Eve visibly trembled; her cheeks seemed to grow more wan, the line between her eyes deepened. "This noise must be stopped!" said the old planter, authoritatively. He got up and went to the side. "_They_ won't stop," said Cicely. Eve sat still, the tips of the fingers of each of her hands pressed hard into the palm, and bits of her inner cheek held tightly between her teeth. At last the rails were all on board and the gangways hauled in; the propeller moved slowly away from her dock, a row of loungers, with upturned faces, watching her departure, and visibly envying the captain, who called out orders loudly from the upper deck--orders which were needed; for the river was crowded with craft of all kinds, and many manoeuvres were necessary before the long steamer could turn herself and reach the open lake. She passed out at last between two piers, down which boys ran as fast as they could, racing with the engine to see which should reach the end first. At last they were away, and the noises ceased; there was only the regular throb of the machinery, the sound of the water churned by the screw. The sun was setting; Eve looked at the receding shores--the spires of Cleveland on the bluffs which rise from the Cuyahoga, the mass of roofs extending to the east and the west, bounded on the latter side by the pine-clad cliffs of Rocky River. After the splendid flaming sunset, the lake grew suddenly dark; it looked as vast and dusky as the ocean. Cicely sprang up. "I know I shall never come back across all this water!--I know I never, never shall!" "Yes, you will, little girl," answered her grandfather, fondly. "I don't mind. But I can't stay here and think! They must be doing something in there--all those people we saw in the cabin; I am going in to see." She went within, and Eve followed her; the nurse carried Jack after his mother. But the judge remained where he was; he sat with one hand laid over the other on the top of his cane. He looked at the dark lake; his feeling was, "What is to become of us?" Within, all was animation; the tables had been pushed together by a troop of hurrying darkies in white aprons, and now the same troop were bringing in small open dishes, some flat and some bowl-like, containing an array of food which included everything from beefsteak to ice-cream. The passengers occupying the sofas watched the proceedings; then, at the sound of a tap on the gong, they rose and seated themselves on the round stools which did duty as chairs.