His putting to sea with the avowed intention of hailing the banker _Nelly G._ capped the mystery. Why had he not gone on with his baggage to New Bedford and boarded the fishing schooner there? "And why? And why? And why?" murmured Lorna at length. "I might ask myself these questions from now till doomsday and be none the wiser." She shook her head sadly as she prepared Miss Heppy’s tray. These puzzling queries were not all—nor the greatest—that troubled Lorna Nicholet. The young woman confessed in secret that more than curiosity inspired her interest in Ralph’s association with Cora Devine. Why should her name and address have been in his notebook if he had not a close acquaintance with her? From the very first time she had heard of the girl (and Conny Degger had mentioned her slurringly in connection with Ralph’s name more than a year before) Lorna had felt secret jealousy. But never until now would she acknowledge it. This phase of the mystery angered her. It was that which had caused her more than anything else to doubt Ralph’s honesty and good intentions. So she still wondered if he were not really in trouble through the Devine girl and if this fact were not behind his strange actions in leaving home. Even if he had no part in the bank burglary (and of course he had not) Lorna could not absolve him of possible disgrace. In addition, Ralph might be out on the open sea in this gale. Whether he had stuck to the leaky catboat during the night or had managed to board the _Nelly G._, Lorna feared for his safety. She hoped, however, that he had given up that wild attempt to go to the banks with the fishing craft and had made safe harbor before the hurricane had risen to its present height. The staunch tower of the Twin Rocks Light fairly quivered in the blast. Lorna could feel the vibration of the spiral stairway as she mounted to Miss Heppy’s bedroom. "What a dreadful storm! What a dreadful storm!" the lightkeeper’s sister moaned when Lorna came into the room. "Dear-oh-dear! Everything seems to come on us to once’t. Feel this old stone tomb a-tremble, Lorna! When there’s a storm like this I always do dread trouble. And we’ve all got trouble enough now, I do allow." "But, Miss Heppy, it may not be as bad as you think," said the young woman, trying to speak cheerfully. "For love’s sake!" was the rather tart rejoinder. "I’ve give up all hope of ever getting our money back. I guess Arad Thompson ain’t responsible for burglaries. And I should think you’d be pretty well worrited yourself, Lorna, over Ralph Endicott." "Oh!" gasped the girl in surprise. "Yes. Tobias was in here this morning and told me what Zeke said. Ralph—the foolish boy!—has gone to sea. And in such weather! Oh, my dear, I long since told you why I’d never marry one o’ these here longshoremen. ’Them that go down to the sea in ships,’ the Bible calls ’em. Many of ’em go down _under_ the sea in ships—ah, yes!