every one of you! Hurrah!"

Holding their hands to their temples, the castaways finally calmed
themselves enough to look rationally at each other. Their minds began to
regain order, their nerves were quieted, their hearts forgot the tumult,
and they could think and talk and reason again. In the fierce ecstasy of
seeing the long-looked-for rescuers, they had forgotten their expressed
desire to live always on the island. Human nature had overcome sentiment
and they rejoiced in what they had regarded as a calamity an hour
before. Now they realized that a crisis had come.

"Hugh, will they take us away?" she cried, real anguish mingling with
triumphant joy.

"Shall we go or stay?" cried he, torn by two emotions.

"It may be the end of our happiness," she whispered, pale as death. "I
will stay here forever, Hugh, if you like."

"Do you want to go?"

"I want to go and I want to stay. What shall we do?"

"Go! We shall be happy. Nothing shall part us, darling."

"But Grace? What if she is alive?" she asked faintly.

"God grant she is. I'll throw myself at her feet and she shall be made
to understand," he said, but a nameless chill crossed him.