Natalie's door was, as usual on these occasions, the first that opened;
for this sound reason, that Natalie's quickness was the quickness to be
depended on in case of accident.
She looked up at the sky-light. There were the legs of the two gentlemen
and the skirts of her aunt visible (and stationary) on the lee side of
the deck. She advanced a few steps and listened. There was a pause in
the murmur of the voices above. She looked up again. One pair of legs
(not her father's) had disappeared. Without an instant's hesitation,
Natalie darted back to her own door, just in time to escape Richard
Turlington descending the cabin stairs. All he did was to go to one
of the drawers under the main-cabin book-case and to take out a map,
ascending again immediately to the deck. Natalie's guilty conscience
rushed instantly, nevertheless, to the conclusion that Richard suspected
her. When she showed herself for the second time, instead of venturing
into the cabin, she called across it in a whisper,
"Launce!"
Launce appeared at his door.
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