She lay back in her chair and closed her eyes, thus signifying to Mr. Hamblin that she did not wish to continue their conversation.

He moved away from her, but continued to watch her covertly, smiling now and then to himself as he thought of the developments reserved for her.

When the sun began to decline Mona arose to return to her stateroom, but she was still so weak she could not walk steadily.

The young man sprang at once to her side.

“Let me help you,” he cried, offering his arm to her.

She was obliged to take it, much as she disliked to do so, and he assisted her to the door of her stateroom, where, touching his hat politely, he left her.

She lay down to rest for a while before gathering up her things preparatory to going ashore, but the effort of coming down stairs had so wearied her that almost immediately she fell into a sound sleep.

CHAPTER XIV.

MONA FINDS FRIENDS.

When Mona awoke again it was dark.

The lamps were lighted in the saloon, however, and shone dimly into her stateroom through the glass in the door.

She at once became conscious that the steamer had stopped, while the confusion and bustle on deck told her that they had arrived in port and the vessel was being unloaded.

She hastily arose and dressed to go ashore, and she had hardly completed her toilet when some one rapped upon her door.

Opening it she found Louis Hamblin standing outside.

“We have arrived,” he said.  “How soon can you be ready to go ashore?”

“Immediately,” Mona replied, then asked:  “Where is Mrs. Montague?”

“Waiting for us in the carriage.  I thought I would take one invalid at a time,” he responded, smiling.

“What time is it, please?” the young girl asked, thoughtfully.

“Nearly ten o’clock.  We are very late arriving to-night.”

Mona looked blank at this reply, for she felt that it would be too late to go to Mr. Graves’ that night.  She would be obliged to go home with Mrs. Montague after all, and remain until morning.  So she said nothing about her plans, but followed Louis above to the deck, out across the gangway to the pier, where a perfect babel prevailed, although at that moment, in the excitement of getting ashore, she did not notice anything peculiar about it.

The young man hurried her to the carriage, which proved to be simply a transportation coach belonging to some hotel, and was filled with people.

“We have concluded to go to a hotel for to-night, since it is so late and the servants did not know of our coming,” Louis explained, as he assisted his companion to enter the vehicle, which, however, was more like a river barge than a city coach.

“I do not see Mrs. Montague,” Mona said, as she anxiously tried to scan the faces of the passengers, and now noticed for the first time that most of them appeared to be foreigners, and were talking in a strange language.