engineers are working. The shock's disabled the machinery a little. It'll soon be fixed. Don't be frightened."
It was a comfort to get at some part of the mystery. But the faces around the cabin were as anxious as ever. The idea of mischief to the machinery was not a soothing addition. How inexplicable the whole accident was!
Philip hied him back to Gerald. Then fora time no more information could be got. There was a leak? Yes, there was a leak, but every body could be easy. They "were getting it under control all right." The little groups at the staircases, still held in check by the captain's orders, waited anxiously. The pumps kept up steadily their clanging sound that had not stopped once; and to Philip and Gerald the pumps seemed to be going faster than ever by the time half an hour had gone by. Once when Touchtone stepped out for any more news he overheard an officer running by say something about "below the water-line," and add to the head steward, "Tell Peters to get out what I said—quick!"
As he sat in the state-room, glad that he had succeeded yet in keeping Gerald so unexcited,
