"She would, indeed," said Bessy coldly.

"Bessy--Miss Studwick," cried Hester, with a low wail of misery, "if I have committed any sin it is that of loving my dear husband too well.

G.o.d--G.o.d knows how innocent I am. Oh! it is too hard to bear."

She sank lower on the cabin floor, weeping silently, but only by a great effort, for the heavy sobs kept rising to her lips, and in her agony the intense desire to obtain relief in uttering loud cries was almost more than she could master.

Bessy stood looking down upon her with brows knit and lips pressed together, for her heart whispered to her that this was a judgment on this woman, who had robbed her of her love, and that she ought to rejoice over her downfall. Then, too, the thought came that, this idol fallen, she might, perhaps, herself be raised up in its place, and a flash of joy irradiated her mind, but only for a moment. Then her better nature prevailed, and bending down she lifted the prostrate woman with ease, and laid her upon the couch-like locker that filled one side of the cabin, kneeling down beside her, and drawing the dishevelled head upon her bosom.

"Hester," she whispered, "I did hate you, very, very bitterly, as intensely as I once loved Dutch Pugh; but all that is pa.s.sed. When I came to your house, and began to know you better, I used to go home and kneel down and pray for his happiness with you, while, when I heard of his trouble, my hatred began to fight its way back, so that the last day or two I have felt ready to curse you for the wreck you have made."

"Oh, no, no, no," sobbed Hester, clinging to her; "I am innocent."

"Yes, I know and believe that now," said Bessy; "and I will help you to win him back to the same belief."

"But you will bring him to me quickly, or they will set me ash.o.r.e,"

wailed Hester, clinging tightly to her companion as she uttered a sigh of relief. "If I could but stay only to see him sometimes, and know that he was safe, I should wait then patiently until he came to me and told me that all this dreadful dream was at an end."

"And you believe that he will do this?"

"Believe!" cried Hester, starting up, and gazing full at her companion.

"Oh, yes, I believe it. It may be long first, but the time will come, and I can wait--I can wait--I can wait."

She sank back quite exhausted as she repeated the last words again and again in a whisper, the last time almost inaudibly; and then, holding Bessy Studwick's hand tightly clasped to her bosom, her eyes closed, and she sank into the deep sleep of exhaustion, the first sleep that had visited the weary woman for three nights; while, as the light from the cabin lamp fell athwart her pretty troubled face, Bessy knelt there watching her, pa.s.sing her soft white hand across the forehead to sweep away the tangled locks. Then as the time wore on, and the rippling, plashing noise of the water against the ship grew louder, and the footsteps on the deck less frequent, she listened for the catching sighs that escaped at intervals from the sleeping young wife's lips, her own tears stealing gently down from time to time, as Hester murmured more than once the name of which she had herself loved to dream.

"Poor Dutch! and he might have felt the same trouble, perhaps about me,"

thought Bessy, as she bent over and kissed Hester's cheek, to feel the sleeping woman's arms steal round her neck for a moment, and then glide softly down again.

"No, no, it could not be true," she whispered again, as she knelt there watching hour after hour for Hester to awake, till her own head sank lower and lower, and at last she fell asleep by the suffering woman's side.

STORY ONE, CHAPTER TWELVE.

THE DOCTOR'S DECREE.

As the morning broke bright and clear, the large three-masted schooner was running down the Channel under easy sail, and the men were beginning to fall into their places, though all was at present rather awkward and strange. Captain Studwick and Mr Parkley had gone below, congratulating themselves on having succeeded so far, and placed themselves out of the reach of Laure's machinations, while Mr Jones, the mate, had taken charge, and was now pacing the deck in company with Dutch, who was trying hard to master his pain by throwing his whole soul into the adventure.

In spite of himself, though, a little suffering face constantly presented itself before him; and again and again he found his conscience smiting him, and charging him with cruelty in forsaking his wife--asking him, too, if he was sure that his suspicions were just.

At such times he recalled the shadows on the blind, set his teeth, and thought of Laure's sneering laugh of triumph, and then his blood seemed to boil up, and it was only by a strong effort that he was able to master the agony he felt, mingled as it was with a desire for revenge.

"If I don't get to work at something," he muttered, "I shall go mad."

Just then the sun rose bright and clear, sending a flood of wondrous radiance over the dancing waters, flecking the distant land with golden radiance and dark shadows, while the soft mists gradually rose higher and higher, gleaming like transparent silver, as they floated over woodland and down.

"I wonder whether I shall ever see you again," muttered Dutch to himself, as he leaned over the bulwark, and gazed at the beautiful panorama by which they were swiftly gliding; and then, turning away with a sigh, he came full upon the dark-skinned mulatto sailor, busily coiling down a rope, and Dutch started slightly, half feeling that he had seen the lowering countenance before, but the man paid no heed to him, only went on with his task with his tarry hands, and finally limped off to another part of the vessel.

Just then Captain Studwick and Mr Parkley came on deck, talking earnestly, and when he went forward to shake hands they looked troubled, and there was an air of constraint in their manner that he could not understand.

"Well, gentlemen," he said, with an affectation of ease which he did not feel, "we are out of our troubles now."

"I don't know so much about that," said Mr Parkley. "Eh, Studwick?"

"No," said the captain, "I don't know either."

"Why, what do you mean?" said Dutch, and his eye involuntarily fell upon the dark-skinned sailor, who was close at hand. "You don't suspect that the Cuban can interfere now?"

"You'd better tell him," whispered Mr Parkley.

"No, no, you tell him," said the captain uneasily, "known him longer, and so on."

"What are you whispering about?" exclaimed Dutch. "Pray speak out."

Mr Parkley looked at the captain for help, but he began to whistle, and walked away to give an order.

"Well, my dear Pugh, the fact is," said Mr Parkley, taking hold of his special b.u.t.ton.

"Pray go on," exclaimed Dutch, "not anything serious?"

"N-no, not serious, but awkward. The fact is your wife came on board last night."

"My wife!" exclaimed Dutch, and a flash of joy lit up his face. Then the sombre cloud overshadowed it again, and he exclaimed bitterly, "I have no wife," and walked away.

"Well, my lad," said Captain Studwick sharply, for the mulatto had ceased working, and, half bent down as he was, stood listening intently to all that pa.s.sed, "you've nothing to do with what those gentlemen are saying."

The man made a deprecating motion with his hand and bent to his work again.

"We may as well understand each other at once," said the captain sharply. "Stand up."

The mulatto stood up, but in a half-averted way, and displayed a curious sinister expression, caused by what appeared to be a scar across his cheek, while his eyes seemed shifty and unable to meet the speaker's gaze.

"What is your name?"

"Tonio," said the mulatto.

"Well, Tonio, mind this: You are engaged here for good pay. I always see that my men are well supplied in their mess, and, in return, I expect smart work and strict obedience. Do you understand?"

"Yes, captain," said the man, in a tone half sulky, half-full of humiliation.

"That will do. Now go and help that fellow to take a pull at the jib."

The man went limping off, but with great alacrity, pa.s.sing Dutch, who came back looking very stern and angry.

"Captain Studwick, I must ask you to put in at Plymouth. Mr Parkley, she must be set ash.o.r.e."

"But, my dear boy, had you not better see her first. I'm--I'm afraid she will object to go without."

"No," said Dutch sternly, and he gazed at both in turn. "She must be set ash.o.r.e as soon as possible."