“Is that man a friend of yours?” she asked.

“You mean that drunken fool?  No; I’ve never met him before.”

“That was just a ruse then—­that invitation to drink.”

“I had to do something, and that came first to me.”

“Then you didn’t go and drink with him?”

“Why no, of course not.  I took him to his berth, and told him to stay there.”

“Do you think he will?”

“Yes; until he sobers up.”

“Well, I don’t like drunken men.”

“Neither do I.”

“We’re agreed on one thing then, aren’t we?”

Chester laughed with her.  Elder Malby was pacing the deck, awaiting the call for breakfast; but Chester did not join him.

“The man bothered me yesterday,” she said, “and again last night.  He wished to get acquainted, he claimed.”

“You don’t know him, then?”

“I’ve never seen him before.  Papa has had to remain very quiet, and I haven’t been around much.  That fellow made me afraid.”

“Well, he’ll not bother you again.  If he does, let me know.”

“Thank you very much—­”

The call for breakfast came to them faintly, then grew louder as the beaten gong came up from below to the deck.

“I must get papa and take him to breakfast.  Let me thank you again, and good morning.”

He might have accompanied her down, but he just stood there watching her.  Elder Malby came up, and the two went down together.

The minister and his daughter got into their places more actively that morning.  Chester wished heartily that his seat was not opposite.  She was at too close range to allow of any careful observation.  He could not very well help looking across the table, neither could she, although she had her father to talk to.  Chester was really glad when breakfast was over that morning, and they all filed up to the sun-lit deck again.

Had Chester been a smoker, he would no doubt have taken consolation in a pipe with the majority of the men; but as it was, he withdrew as much as possible from others that he might think matters over and get to a proper footing; for truth to tell, he was in danger of falling in love again, and that, he said to himself, would never do.  He avoided even Elder Malby that morning; but to do so he had to go down to the main deck forward out to the prow.  He went to the extreme point, where from behind the closed railing he could stand as a look-out into the eastern sea.  Gently and slowly the vessel rose and fell as it plowed through the long, gleaming undulations.

“What am I coming to,” said Chester half-aloud as if the sea might hear and answer him.  “Here I am running away from one heart entanglement only to go plump into another.  She is not Julia, of course, but she has Julia’s twin soul.  A perfect stranger, an acquaintance of two days!  The daughter of a minister, a minister of the world!” What was he thinking of?  Who were they?