CHAPTER XVI
Debacle
THE loneliness of Alan's vigil was eventually relieved by the appearance on deck of the woman he loved.
The tableau that greeted her—of one haggard wretch at the wheel and the other lying at his feet in the stupor of fatigue—instantly wrung from Rose a little cry of solicitude.
Warm food and hot coffee lent a little tone to Alan's spirits, and he was presently able to discuss their situation.
"There's only one way out of it I can see—flight. If we win safely in New York, the only thing is for us to marry with all haste and leave the country by the first boat."
By way of answer she nestled still more closely into the hollow of his arm, and he continued: "Otherwise, I can't see anything for it but to fight the enemy with their own weapons. What I'm most afraid of is that sometime I may forget it's a woman I'm defending myself against. When a fellow's fighting for his life he can't always stop to calculate the weight of his blows."
80
