going out of doors with the police and half the people in Woodhatch all
on the look-out for you."

"If I could only get aboard I should be all right," muttered the skipper.
"I could keep down the fo'-c's'le while the mate took the ship out."

Miss Pilbeam sat in deep thought. "It's the getting aboard that's the
trouble," she said, slowly. "You'd have to disguise yourself. It would
have to be a good disguise, too, to pass my father, I can tell you."

Captain Bligh gave a gloomy assent.

"The only thing for you to do, so far as I can see," said the girl,
slowly, "is to make yourself up like a coalie. There are one or two
colliers in the harbor, and if you took off your coat--I could send it on
afterwards--rubbed yourself all over with coal-dust, and shaved off your
moustache, I believe you would escape."

"Shave!" ejaculated the skipper, in choking accents. "Rub--!
Coal-dust!"

"It's your only chance," said Miss Pilbeam.

Captain Bligh leaned back frowning, and from sheer force of habit passed
the ends of his moustache slowly through his fingers. "I think the coal-
dust would be enough," he said at last.

The girl shook her head. "Father particularly noticed your moustache,"
she said.