“But, my dear Mrs. Noah,” expostulated Cleopatra, “what will become of the ship?”

“I guess she’ll float through the night whether we are on deck or not,” said the commander.  “The Ark did, why not this?  Now, girls, these new-fangled yachting notions are all nonsense.  It’s night, and there’s a fog as thick as a stone-wall all about us.  If there were a hundred of you upon deck with ten eyes apiece, you couldn’t see anything.  You might much better be in bed.  As your captain, chaperon, and grandmother, I command you to stay below.”

“But—­who is to steer?” queried Xanthippe.

“What’s the use of steering until we can see where to steer to?” demanded Mrs. Noah.  “I certainly don’t intend to bother with that tiller until some reason for doing it arises.  We haven’t any place to steer to yet; we don’t know where we are going.  Now, my dear children, be reasonable, and don’t worry me.  I’ve had a very hard day of it, and I feel my responsibilities keenly.  Just let me manage, and we’ll come out all right.  I’ve had more experience than any of you, and if—­”

A terrible crash interrupted the old lady’s remarks.  The House-boat shivered and shook, careened way to one side, and as quickly righted and stood still.  A mad rush up the gangway followed, and in a moment a hundred and eighty-three pale-faced, trembling women stood upon the deck, gazing with horror at a great helpless hulk ten feet to the rear, fastened by broken ropes and odd pieces of rigging to the stern-posts of the House-boat, sinking slowly but surely into the sea.

[Illustration:  “A GREAT HELPLESS HULK TEN FEET TO THE REAR”]

It was the Gehenna!

The House-boat had run her down and her last hour had come, but, thanks to the stanchness of her build and wonderful beam, the floating club-house had withstood the shock of the impact and now rode the waters as gracefully as ever.

Portia was the first to realize the extent of the catastrophe, and in a short while chairs and life-preservers and tables—­everything that could float—­had been tossed into the sea to the struggling immortals therein.  On board the Gehenna, those who had not cast themselves into the waters, under the cool direction of Holmes and Bonaparte, calmly lowered the boats, and in a short while were not only able to felicitate themselves upon their safety, but had likewise the good fortune to rescue their more impetuous brethren who had preferred to swim for it.  Ultimately, all were brought aboard the House-boat in safety, and the men in Hades were once more reunited to their wives, daughters, sisters, and fiancees, and Elizabeth had the satisfaction of once more saving the life of Raleigh by throwing him her ruff as she had done a year or so previously, when she and her brother had been upset in the swift current of the river Styx.