When Jimmy was shown into the large, cool drawing-room, he stood awkwardly still, with a thrill of keen satisfaction and an effort for self-control. He had so far seen little of Osborne’s house, and the beauty of the room had its effect on him. Curtains, rugs, furniture and pictures formed harmonies of soft color and delicate design, which seemed to him a fitting environment for the occupant of the room.  
Ruth wore a clinging evening dress, and Jimmy had hitherto seen her only in traveling and outing clothes. He could not have told how the dress was cut, nor have described its shade, but he knew it was exactly what she ought to wear. The way it hung about her hinted at the graceful¹ lines of her figure; it matched the purity of her coloring and showed up the gloss² of her hair. But although the effect was admirable, it was daunting³, in a sense. She was wonderfully beautiful and in her proper place; he felt himself rough and awkward, and was conscious of his disadvantages.
 
Then, as she came toward him, his heart began beating hard. He thought of their last meeting with embarrassment⁵. He had expected to find some change of manner in her that would, so to speak, keep him at a distance. There was, however, no hint of this. It looked as if she had not forgotten how he had helped her from the launch, but had somehow recognized it and its consequences. He was not a clever reader of other people’s minds, but he knew that they were nearer than they had ever been before.
 
As she gave him her hand Ruth smiled up at him, but she spoke⁶ in a very matter-of-fact voice.
 
“I am glad you have come at last. It is pleasant to know that you have got back safely.” She pouted⁷ prettily⁸. “No doubt you had some business with my father, which explains the visit.”
 
“It gave me an excuse for doing what I wished.”
 
“Did you need an excuse? We gave you an open invitation.”
 
“I felt that I did,” Jimmy answered slowly; and Ruth understood. He was diffident but proud, and shrank from entering her circle by favor. She preferred that he should regard her, however, not as the daughter of a rich man but as an attractive woman.
 
“You are too retiring,” she rebuked⁹ him smilingly. “But I shall not begin by finding fault. I want you to tell me some of your exciting adventures. Aynsley Clay was here, but he could not tell us much about you—and he was, of course, in trouble.”
 
“Yes,” said Jimmy softly. “I’m sorry for him. He’s a man you soon feel a strong liking¹⁰ for; and there was a good deal to admire in his father. In fact, we were on very friendly terms during the last few days we spent at the wreck¹¹.”
 
Ruth was silent for a moment. Then:
 
“Tell me about the wreck,” she requested.
 
“It’s rather a long story, and you may find it tiresome¹².”
 
“I’ve asked you to tell it.”
 
Jimmy was glad of the opportunity, because he was determined¹³ that she should have no cause to doubt her father. There was much still unexplained, but she must not suspect this, for it was unthinkable that she should bear any trouble from which he could save her. Still, he saw that he must be careful, for there were points which needed delicate handling.
 
While he began the narrative¹⁴ Ruth studied him carefully. He looked very virile¹⁵ and handsome with his bronzed skin, his steady eyes, and his figure fined down by privation and toil¹⁶. Indeed, he had somehow an air of distinction; but he had changed and developed since she first met him. This was a different man from the pleasant, easy-going steamship¹⁷ officer. He had grown alert and determined, but he had lost nothing of his sincerity¹⁸. He could be trusted without reserve, and she felt that she liked him even better than before.
 
His story of their adventures in the North was deeply interesting to the girl; and she prompted him with leading questions now and then, for she was keenly anxious to learn the truth about the wreck. For the last few months she had been troubled by dark suspicions.
 
“But, in spite of everything, you reached the gold!” she exclaimed at last.
 
“Yes,” said Jimmy, seizing the opening he had waited for. “We got it all.”
 
“All!” For a moment Ruth was thrown off her guard by a shock of relief that was poignant¹⁹ in its intensity²⁰.
 
“I believe so,” Jimmy answered. “Anyway, we got every case that was insured. The underwriters seemed perfectly²¹ satisfied.”
 
A wave of color flushed Ruth’s face. She had, it seemed, tormented²² herself without a cause. Her father, whom she had suspected, was innocent. There was no dark secret attached to the wreck, as she had unjustly thought. Jimmy had banished²³ her fears. The hardships he had borne had bought her release from a haunting dread²⁴.
 
She realized that he might wonder at her agitation²⁵, but, after all, this did not count. She was carried away by gratitude²⁶ to him.
 
“Thank you for telling me,” she said, feeling the inadequacy²⁷ of the words. “It makes a thrilling tale.”
 
“If it has pleased you, I’m content.”
 
“Pleased me! Well, I can assure you that it has done so.”
 
“Then I’m rewarded,” said Jimmy boldly, losing his head as he saw the gratitude in her eyes. “That’s all I wanted; finding the gold is less important.”
 
Ruth saw what was happening; his restraint was breaking down, and she meant to give it the last blow.
 
“And yet you must have been determined to get the gold, since all you had to face didn’t daunt⁴ you.”
 
“Yes,” said Jimmy with a steady look, “I wanted it badly, for a purpose.”
 
“Didn’t you want it for itself? That would have been a very natural thing.” Ruth hesitated. “But you haven’t mentioned your real reason.”
 
He gathered courage from the glance she gave him, though the next moment she turned her head.
 
“I’m half afraid, but it must be told. I was a steamboat mate without a ship, a laborer²⁸ about the wharves²⁹ and mills, and all the time I had a mad ambition locked up in my heart. Then my partner, Bethune, showed me a chance of realizing it, and I took that chance.”
 
“It must have been a strong ambition that sent you up to fight with the gales³¹ and ice.”
 
“It was. In fact, it was stronger than my judgment³². I knew it was a forlorn hope, but I couldn’t give it up. You see, I had fallen in love with a girl.”
 
“Ah! I wonder when that happened? Was it one night when you met the Sound steamer with your launch?”
 
“Oh, no; long before that. It began one afternoon at Yokohama, when a girl in a dust-veil and the prettiest dress I’d ever seen came up the Empress’s gangway.”
 
“Then it must have been very sudden,” Ruth answered with a blush and a smile. “The veil was rather thick, and she didn’t speak to you.”
 
“That didn’t matter. She smiled her thanks, when I drew away a rope, and I’d never got so sweet and gracious a look. After that there were calm evenings when the Empress swung gently over the smooth heave and the girl left her friends and walked up and down the deck with me. I knew I was a presumptuous³³ fool, but as soon as my watch was over I used to wait with an anxious heart, hoping that she might come.”
 
“And sometimes she didn’t.”
 
“Those were black nights,” said Jimmy. “While I waited I tried to think it would be better if I saw no more of her. But I knew all the time that I couldn’t take that prudent³⁴ course.” He paused with an appealing gesture. “Ruth, haven’t I said enough?”
 
“Not quite. Did you think, when you went to find the wreck, that your success would make me think of you with more favor?”
 
“If the wreck had been full of gold, it would not have made me your equal; but I knew what your friends would think. It would have been insufferable that you should have had to apologize to them for me.”
 
Ruth gave him a smile that sent a thrill through him.
 
“Dear,” he said suddenly, “I want you—that’s all in the world that matters.”
 
She yielded shyly when he gathered her to him; and the little gilt³⁵ clock on the mantel, with its poised³⁶ Cupid, seemed to tick exultantly³⁷ in the silence that followed.
 
A half-hour had passed when they heard footsteps in the hall, and Osborne came in. He glanced at them sharply, and Jimmy’s triumphant³⁸ air and Ruth’s blush confirmed his suspicions.
 
“Ah!” he said. “I imagine you have something to tell me?”
 
“That is true,” said Jimmy; and Ruth smiled at her father.
 
“There is no reason why you should object, and you needn’t pretend to be vexed³⁹!” she pouted.
 
“I think Mr. Farquhar and I must have a talk,” Osborne answered quietly.
 
He made Jimmy sit down when Ruth had left them.
 
“Now,” he began, “I’ll confess to some surprise, and though, from what I’ve seen and heard of you, I can find no fault of a personal nature, there are some drawbacks.”
 
“Nobody realizes that better than myself,” Jimmy answered ruefully. “In fact, I can honestly say that they seemed serious enough to prevent my hopes from ever being realized until half an hour ago. The only excuse I can make is that I love your daughter.”
 
“It’s a good one, but, unfortunately, it doesn’t quite cover all the ground. May I ask about your plans for the future?”
 
“I’m afraid they’re not very ambitious, but they may lead to something. My partners and I intend to start a small towing and transport business with the salvage⁴⁰ money.”
 
Osborne asked for an outline of the scheme, and listened with interest while Jimmy supplied it. The venture had obviously been well thought out, and he believed it would succeed. Farquhar and his friends had carried out their sa............