“Yes, captain, I wanted to ask you if you would kindly let me have the use of your cabin for a few minutes?”
“With all my heart,” and the captain led the way to his cabin.
“This way, uncle.” And Prescott and Captain Bradshaw went into the cabin, which was on deck, while Alice remained looking over the bulwarks in her former position. Frank was romping with Charley, and keeping him in screams of delight by pretending to be about to throw him over the bulwarks, when one of the boys came up.
“Please, sir, the captain will be glad if you will step into his cabin?”
“Certainly,” Frank said, setting the boy down upon the deck. “There, Charley, don’t get into mischief. I expect it is about the luggage, Katie; I was asking him last night whether he would have some of it up on deck when we had anchored.”
Kate’s attention was thoroughly taken up now with the two children, for Charley evinced an inclination to toddle after his papa.
“Please stop Charley, Mr. Cairns,” Kate cried, laughingly, to a passenger near the child.
The gentleman addressed was on the point of seizing the child, when a lady, who was coming up, caught it up in her arms, and bore him struggling violently back to Kate.
“You little scamp,” his mother said; “if you don’t keep quiet by me, I must send for nurse;” and then, looking up and seeing that Charley was in the arms of a stranger, she stopped. She had never seen Alice Heathcote but once, and then only for a brief moment, and she did not in the slightest recognise the lady who stood before her.
Alice put the child down by her side, and said, “You do not know me. I am Alice Heathcote.”