She repented of the speech as
soon as made, but causelessly, as it drew from the young man no answer.
Mr. Sharp observed that his friends in England could scarcely know of
their situation, until his own letters would arrive to relieve their
minds. As for Mademoiselle Viefville, the hard fortune which reduced her
to the office of a governess, had almost left her without natural ties.
"I believe we are to have watch and ward to-night," resumed Eve, after the
general pause had continued some little time. "Is it not possible for the
elements to put us in the same predicament as that in which we found the
poor Dane?"
"Possible, certainly, but scarcely probable," returned Mr. Blunt. "The
ship is well moored, and this narrow ledge of rocks, between us and the
ocean, serves admirably for a break-water. One would not like to be
stranded, helpless as we are, at this moment, on a coast like this!"
"Why so particularly helpless? You allude to the absence of our crew?"
"To that, and to the fact that, I believe, we could not muster as much as
a pocket-pistol to defend ourselves with, everything in the shape of
fire-arms having been sent with the party in the boats."
"Might we not lie on the beach, here, for days, even weeks," inquired Mr.
Sharp, "without being discovered by the Arabs?"
"I fear not.
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