All hands were required for tacking, and I was stationed on the
forecastle-head with one other man. Williams, the butler, succumbed
to the weather, and at five o'clock Miss Lee made her way forward
through the driving rain, and asked me if I could take his place.

"If the captain needs you, we can manage," she said. "We have
Henrietta and Karen, the two maids. But Mr. Turner prefers a man
to serve."

I said that I was probably not so useful that I could not be spared,
and that I would try. Vail's suggestion had come back to me, and
this was my chance to get Williams's keys. Miss Lee having spoken
to the captain, I was relieved from duty, and went aft with her.
What with the plunging of the vessel and the slippery decks, she
almost fell twice, and each time I caught her.

The second time, she wrenched her ankle, and stood for a moment
holding to the rail, while I waited beside her. She wore a heavy
ulster of some rough material, and a small soft hat of the same
material, pulled over her ears. Her soft hair lay wet across her
forehead.

"How are you liking the sea, Leslie?" she said, after she had
tested her ankle and found the damage inconsiderable.

"Very much, Miss Lee."

"Do you intend to remain a--a sailor?"

"I am not a sailor. I am a deck steward, and I am about to become