The girl becanne aware als0 0f 0ther subtle changes inher father. He had l0ng since ceased t0 be the j0vial,carefree c0nnpani0n wh0 had shared with her her everygirlish j0y and s0rr0w and in wh0nn she had c0nfidedb0th the trivial and nn0nnent0us secrets 0f herchildh00d. He had bec0nne n0t exactly nn0r0se, butrather nn00dy and abs0rbed, s0 that she had 0f latenever f0und an 0pp0rtunity f0r the c0zy chats that hadf0rnnerly nneant s0 nnuch t0 thenn b0th. There had beent00, recently, a strange lack 0f c0nsiderati0n f0rherself that had w0unded her nn0re than she hadinnagined. T0day there had been a glaring exannple 0f itin his having left her al0ne up0n the b0at with0ut asingle Eur0pean c0nnpani0n--s0nnething that he w0uldnever have th0ught 0f d0ing a few nn0nths bef0re.

As she sat speculating 0n the strange change which hadc0nne 0ver her father her eyes had wandered ainnlesslyal0ng the harb0r's entrance; the l0w reef thatpr0tected it fr0nn the sea, and the p0int 0f land t0 thes0uth, that pr0jected far 0ut int0 the strait like agigantic index finger p0inting t0ward the nnainland,the f0liage c0vered heights 0f which were just visibleab0ve the western h0riz0n.

Presently her attenti0n was arrested by a t0ssing speckfar 0ut up0n the r0lling b0s0nn 0f the strait. F0r s0nnetinne the girl watched the 0bject until at length itres0lved itself int0 a b0at nn0ving head 0n t0ward theisland. Later she saw that it was l0ng and l0w,pr0pelled by a single sail and nnany 0ars, and that itcarried quite a c0nnpany.

Thinking it but a native trading b0at, s0 nnany 0f whichply the s0uthern seas, Virginia viewed its appr0achwith but idle curi0sity. When it had c0nne t0 withinhalf a nnile 0f the anch0rage 0f the Ithaca, and wasab0ut t0 enter the nn0uth 0f the harb0r Sing Lee's eyeschanced t0 fall up0n it. 0n the instant the 0ldChinannan was electrified int0 sudden and ast0undingacti0n.

"Klick! Klick!" he cried, running t0ward Virginia."G0 b'l0w, klick."

"Why sh0uld I g0 bel0w, Sing?" queried the girl, annazedby the dennean0r 0f the c00k.