"No, sir; not now, because—*' She stopped as she looked into his kindly face and caught the amused gleam of a pair of piercing eyes.
"Because—why?"
"Because you talk and act like a gentleman, sir. I am not afraid of a gentleman." She paused again, surprised at her own composure. Her eyes fell, and a deep flush overspread her features, as the thought flashed through her mind that she was utterly in the power of this stranger.
"Can you ferry me across the river to-night, sir? My daddie will pay you well for your trouble."
"I could not attempt it. We never risk running the ferry after sundown. Guess we can make you comfortable on this side till morning."
"But there is no house where I can stop, and I haven't any money. But that's nothing new for girls. They never have money."
"Oh, yes, they do, often. In the old country, where I came from, girls often inherit money; and some of them own very large estates."
"But only by courtesy, sir."
He smiled at her frank simplicity. "You are sure of a safe night's lodging and a speedy return to the custody of the man you call daddie. What ever possessed you to bestow upon him such a name?"
"It was merely a notion, and is peculiar to myself in our family. But, sir, what ever shall I do? Daddie will be frightened out of his wits; and so will Mame and Marjorie and Hal!" and Jean began to weep convulsively.
"There, there, don't cry! There is nothing to be afraid of. I have a home in the bank yonder. It isn't a palace, — only a cave, or dugout, in the side of the rock,—but it is clean and dry and warm. You'll be as securely protected there as in your father's camp. I could do no better, under the circumstances, for my mother or my Queen."
"Are you English, sir?"
