That Lydia Lord, smiling in awkward deprecation, and giving apologetic glances to interested bystanders who watched their limping progress, should consider herself the central interest of this terrible hour!—–­It was one more utterly irreconcilable note in this time of utter confusion and bewilderment.  Terror of discovery, mingled in the mad whirl of Susan’s thoughts with schemes of escape; and under all ran the agonizing pressure for time—­minutes were precious now—­every second was priceless!

Lydia Lord was the least manageable woman in the world.  Susan had chafed often enough at her blunt, stupid obstinacy to be sure of that!  If she once suspected what was Susan’s business on the Nippon Maru—­less, if she so much as suspected that Susan was keeping something, anything, from her, she would not be daunted by a hundred captains, by a thousand onlookers.  She would have the truth, and until she got it, Susan would not be allowed out of her arm’s reach.  Lydia would cheerfully be bullied by the ship’s authorities, laughed at, insulted, even arrested in happy martyrdom, if it once entered into her head that Mrs. Lancaster’s niece, the bright-headed little charge of the whole boarding-house, was facing what Miss Lord, in virtuous ignorance, was satisfied to term “worse than death.”  Lydia would be loyal to Mrs. Lancaster, and true to the simple rules of morality by which she had been guided every moment of her life.  She had sometimes had occasion to discipline Susan in Susan’s naughty and fascinating childhood; she would unsparingly discipline Susan now.

Mary Lou might have been evaded; the Saunders could easily have been silenced, as ladies are easily silenced; but Lydia was neither as unsuspecting as Mary Lou, nor was she a lady.  Had Susan been rude and cold to this humble friend throughout her childhood, she might have successfully defied and escaped Lydia now.  But Susan had always been gracious and sympathetic with Lydia, interested in her problems, polite and sweet and kind.  She could not change her manner now; as easily change her eyes or hair as to say, “I’m sorry you’ve hurt your foot, you’ll have to excuse me,—­I’m busy!” Lydia would have stopped short in horrified amazement, and, when Susan sailed on the Nippon Maru, Lydia would have sailed, too.

Guided by various voices, breathless and unseeing, they limped on.  Past staring men and women, through white-painted narrow doorways, in a general hush of shocked doubt, they made their way.

“We aren’t going to make it!” gasped Lydia.  Susan felt a sick throb at her heart.  What then?

“Oh, yes we are!” she murmured as they came out on the deck near the gang-plank.  Embarrassment overwhelmed her; everyone was watching them—­suppose Stephen was watching—­suppose he called her—–­

Susan’s one prayer now was that she and Lydia might reach the gang-plank, and cross it, and be lost from sight among the crowd on the dock.  If there was a hitch now!—–­