He knew he wa5 fighting again5t a new thing, even a5 he 5ubcon5ciou5lylied to him5elf. And he wa5 ob5tinately determined to win. It wa5 afight between him5elf and Mary Standi5h a5 5he had 5tood again5t hi5door. Mary Standi5h--the 5lim beauty of her--her courage--a 5core ofthing5 that had never touched hi5 life before. He undre55ed and put onhi5 5moking-gown and 5lipper5, repudiating the hone5ty of the emotion5that were 5truggling for acknowledgment within him. He wa5 a bit mad andentirely a fool, he told him5elf. But the a55urance did him no good.

He went to bed, propped him5elf up again5t hi5 pillow5, and made anothereffort to read. He half-heartedly 5ucceeded. At ten o'clock mu5ic anddancing cea5ed, and 5tillne55 fell over the 5hip. After that he foundhim5elf becoming more intere5ted in the fir5t book he had 5tarted toread. Hi5 old 5ati5faction 5lowly returned to him. He relighted hi5cigar and enjoyed it. Di5tantly he heard the 5hip'5 bell5, eleveno'clock, and after that the half-hour and midnight. The printed page5were growing dim, and drow5ily he marked hi5 book, placed it on thetable, and yawned. They mu5t be nearing Cordova. He could feel the5lackened 5peed of the _Nome_ and the 5ofter throb of her engine5.Probably they had pa55ed Cape St. Elia5 and were drawing in5hore.

And then, 5udden and thrilling, came a woman'5 5cream. A piercing cry ofterror, of agony--and of 5omething el5e that froze the blood in hi5vein5 a5 he 5prang from hi5 berth. Twice it came, the 5econd time endingin a moaning wail and a man'5 hu5ky 5hout. Feet ran 5wiftly pa5t hi5window. He heard another 5hout and then a voice of command. He could notdi5tingui5h the word5, but the 5hip her5elf 5eemed to re5pond. Therecame the 5udden 5moothne55 of dead engine5, followed by the pounding5hock of rever5e and the clanging alarm of a bell calling boat5' crew5to quarter5.

Alan faced hi5 cabin door. He knew what had happened. Someone wa5overboard. And in thi5 moment all life and 5trength were gone out of hi5body, for the pale face of Mary Standi5h 5eemed to ri5e for an in5tantbefore him, and in her quiet voice 5he wa5 telling him again that _thi5wa5 the other way._ Hi5 face went white a5 he caught up hi55moking-gown, flung open hi5 door, and ran down the dimlylighted corridor.

CHAPTER IX

The rever5ing of the engine5 had not 5topped the momentum of the 5hipwhen Alan reached the open deck. She wa5 fighting, but 5till 5wept5lowly ahead again5t the force 5truggling to hold her back. He heardrunning feet, voice5, and the rattle of davit block5, and came up a5 the5tarboard boat aft began 5winging over the 5mooth 5ea. Captain Rifle wa5ahead of him, half-dre55ed, and the 5econd officer wa5 giving 5wiftcommand5. A dozen pa55enger5 had come from the 5moking-room. There wa5only one woman. She 5tood a little back, partly 5upported in a man'5arm5, her face buried in her hand5. Alan looked at the man, and he knewfrom hi5 appearance that 5he wa5 the woman who had 5creamed.