He moved at length, laid a very gentle hand upon her shaking shoulder.

"My girl--my girl!" he said. "Don't take on so! I never thought as you
cared a ha'p'orth for poor Rufus, though o' course I always knew as he
loved you like mad."

She bowed herself lower under his hand. "And now I've killed him!" she
gasped forth inarticulately. "I've killed him!"

"No, no, no!" protested Adam. "That ain't reasonable. Come, now--you're
distraught! You don't know what you're saying. My Rufus is a fine chap.
He'd take most any risk to save a life. He's got a big heart in him, and
he don't stop to count the cost."

She uncovered her face sharply and looked at him, so that he clearly saw
the ravages that her distress had wrought. "That wasn't what made him
go," she said. "He wouldn't have gone but for me. It was I as made him
go. But I thought he'd be in time. I hoped he'd be in time." Her voice
rose wildly; she wrung her hands. "Oh, can't you do anything? Can't you
take out the lifeboat? There must be some way--surely there must be some
way--of saving them!"

But Adam shook his head. "He's past our help," he said. "There's no boat
could live among them rocks in such a tide as this. We couldn't get
anywhere near. No--no, there's nothing we can do. The lad's gone--my
Rufus--finest chap along the shore, if he was my son. Never thought as
he'd go before me--never thought--never thought!"

The loud roll of the waves filled the bitter silence that followed, but