"The good shipmaster has suffered me to take him home, Lady,
subject to your consent," he ended. "I pray you let it be so."

Now the eyes of the princess had grown soft as she heard the tale,
and when Evan ended it there was pity in her voice as she answered.

"Surely he may come, and if there is no fitting place for him he
shall even have the cabin to himself. I can be well content in
these warm things of mine on deck in this calm air, and he must
have all shelter."

"Nay, Lady, but there is the fore cabin, where he will be well
bestowed," Evan said hastily, beckoning at the same time to his
comrades that they might take me from this too unsafe place at
once.

He kept himself between me and her as much as he could all this
time, and I made no sign. It seemed to me that I could not, even in
my trouble, bring more pain to this soft-eyed princess by raising
the groan which was all that I could compass. What good would it
do? I could tell her nothing, and she could not dream of the true
reason that made me try to cry out. Maybe she would listen through
all the long hours to come to hear if the poor wretch she felt for
was yet in that dire pain that made him moan so terribly.

"Is he well bandaged?" she said, then. "It is ill if broken bones
are not closely set and splinted, and the ship will plunge and rock
presently."

Evan assured her with many words that all was well done, and yet