"Then I'll tell you what I think you ought to do, father."
"And what's that, Mary?"
"The bark is snug, so you go and lie down now. See if you can't get two or three hours of sleep before the gale begins. I'll keep the deck, and call you at the first change in the weather."
The Captain looked at her thoughtfully for a moment, and remembered how thorough her sea-training had been. But she was so young!
"Well," he said, "I fancy there's some sense in your idea. Now pay attention."
"Yes, father."
"You see that particularly hard-looking spot down there in the southeast?"
"Do you mean where the clouds look so much like slate-pencil?"
"That's the place exactly. Now you keep your eye on that spot, because that's where I'm expecting the wind to come from. If that spot grows lighter, you call me at once."
"All right, father," said the girl; "you make your mind easy. I sha'n't lose sight of that spot."