CHAPTER III THE TWO CLOCKS

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      IT was already beginning to grow dark. She sat, and she sat; she waited, and she waited; and at last she wept, but very quietly. Her father did not come; Ben Greenway was not there; and even that Charter boy had gone. A man came aft to her; a mild-faced, elderly man, with further offers of refreshment and an invitation to go below out of the night air. But she would have nothing; and as she sadly waited and gently wept, it began to grow truly dark. Presently, as she sat, one arm leaning on the rail, she heard a voice close to her ear, and she gave a great start.

      "It is only Dickory," whispered the voice.

      Then she put her head near him and was glad enough to have put her arms around his neck.

      "I have heard a great deal more," whispered Dickory; "these men are dreadful. They do not know what keeps your father, although they have suspicions which I could not make out; but if he does not come on board by ten o'clock they will sail without him, and without his cash-box."

      "And what of me?" she almost cried, "what of me?"

      "They will take you with them," said he; "that's the only thing for them to do. But don't be frightened, don't tremble. You must leave this vessel."

      "But how?" she said.

      "Oh! I will attend to that," he answered, "if you will listen to me and do everything I tell you. We can't go until it is dark, but while it is light enough for you to see things I will show you what you must do. Now, look down over the side of the vessel."

      She leaned over and looked down. He was apparently clinging to the side with his head barely reaching the top of the rail.

      "Do you see this bit of ledge I am standing on?" he asked. "Could you get out and stand on this, holding to this piece of rope as I do?"

      "Yes," said she, "I could do that."

      "Then, still holding to the rope, could you lower yourself down from the ledge and hang to it with your hands?"

      "And drop into your boat?" said she. "Yes, I could do that."

      "No," said he, "not drop into my boat. It would kill you if you fell into the boat. You must drop into the water."

      She shuddered, and felt like screaming.

      "But it will be easy to drop into the water; you can't hurt yourself, and I shall be there. My boat will be anchored close by, and we can easily reach it."

      "Drop into the water!" said poor Kate.

      "But I will be there, you know," said Dickory.

      She looked down upon the ledge, and then she looked below it to the water, which was idly flapping against the side of the vessel.

      "Is it the only way?" said she.

      "It is the only way," he answered, speaking very earnestly. "You must not wait for your father; from what I hear, I fear he has been detained against his will. By nine o'clock it will be dark enough."

      "And what must I do?" she said, feeling cold as she spoke.

      "Listen to every word," he answered. "This is what you must do. You know the sound of the bell in the tower of the new church?"

      "Oh, yes," said she, "I hear it often."

      "And you will not confound it with the bell in the old church?"

      "Oh, no!" said she; "it is very different, and generally they strike far apart."

      "Yes," said he, "the old one strikes first; and when you hear it, it will be quite dark, and you can slip over the rail and stand on this ledge, as I am doing; then keep fast hold of this rope and you can slip farther down and sit on the ledge and wait until the clock of the new church begins to strike nine. Then you must get off the ledge and hang by your two hands. When you hear the last stroke of nine, you must let go and drop. I shall be there."

      "But if you shouldn't be there, Dickory? Couldn't you whistle, couldn't you call gently?"

      "No," said Dickory; "if I did that, their sharp ears would hear and lanterns would be flashed on us, and perhaps things would be cast down upon us. That would be the quickest way of getting rid of you."

      "But, Dickory," she said, after a moment's silence, "it is terrible about my father and Ben Greenway. Why don't they come back? What's the matter with them?"

      He hesitated a little before answering.

      "From what I heard, I think there is some trouble on shore, and that's the reason why your father has not come for you as soon as he expected. But he thinks you safe with Ben Greenway. Now what we have to do is to get away from this vessel; and then if she sails and leaves your father and Ben Greenway, it will be a good thing. These fellows are rascals, and no honest person should have to do with them. But now I must get out of sight, or somebody will come and spoil everything."

      Big Sam did come aft and told Kate he thought she would come to injury sitting out in the night air. But she would not listen to him, and only asked him what time of night it was. He told her that it was not far from nine, and that she would see her father very soon, and then he left her.

      "It would have been a terrible thing if he had come at nine," she said to herself. Then she sat very still waiting for the sound of the old clock.

      Dickory Charter had not told Miss Kate Bonnet all that he had heard when he was stealthily wandering about the ship. He had slipped down into the chains near a port-hole, on the other side of which Big Sam and the black-haired