Page 120 (1/2)

Luckily, the darkness covered the hot blush which leaped to her cheeks

She gave a nervous little laugh, and strove desperately to parry this

wholly unexpected assault

"I shall be delighted if you always call me Elsie It sounds friendly,

and I think our circumstances warrant a true friendship"

"Excellent I suppose you know that my name is Arthur?"

"Yes, but I had no notion of that sort of exchange You are the

captain, and a very serious sort of captain at tiirl when you look at ht, but I siine what a sensation it would create in the saloon I should

feel creepy all over And hadn't we better be--"

"Elsie," said he, with a tender note in his voice which thrilled her

like a chord of exquisite e is forced on me that there is another man on this ship who

wishes to make you his wife But I, too, love you, and I see no reason

why I should stand aside for any man on God's earth until you tell asped Elsie, and "Oh!" again, but not another word could she