and at a letter signed with s name to his niece at announcing his intention to leave that day for and that he send his steward to accompany her to egypt by the way of the steward would be accompanied by his wife and would take her luggage to her the letter also informed her that was no longer her guardian for the writer had been appointed in his place was to return to when arrived at he waited till he was sure tliat had received this letter before he presented himself to her then he delivered his letters from and and produced her the innocent girl had not the remotest suspicion of any treachery nor had the landlord and his wife were very agreeable and treated the fair with the most profound respect and deference she was ready to depart at once and tlie agent of hurried her away before any letters could come from to bring confusion to his plans on the plea of being in season for the steamer he induced her to leave with him in the very next train going by rome and the party reached on the day before the departure of the steamer for thus far had no reason to suspect that anything was wrong and his wife treated her with the utmost consideration and deference as soon as the italian steamer in which passage had been sunny shores ok engaged arrived from the party went on board the weather was cold and damp and a dense fog the harbor went to her cabin and prepared her things for the voyage as did in the adjoining room her husband satisfied that he had now practically accomplished his mission was smoking his cigar on deck it was nearly noon the time appointed for the sailing of the steamer when the maiden had finished her preparations a knock induced her to open the door of the cabin and she found one of the of the hotel the passage way he bowed and smiled as he recognized her is this s cabin asked the man holding np a letter no his is next to this replied glancing at the letter in the waiter s hand he told me if any letters came to bring them off to him and this one came in the mail brought by this steamer i will give it to him he comes down for he is on deck now the steamer is about to leave and i have not time to find him added handing her the letter a gave him a couple of for his trouble and he departed as well satisfied as though he had seen himself the looked at the address on the letter it was in the handwriting of the was so cramped and peculiar that she could not possibly mistake it why should her guardian who had been removed from his office according to the information she had received young america in italy and write a letter to what business could tliey have with other how it be possible that they were even acquainted though he was an italian had resided for many years in as the steward of her uncle she had talked with him about and he declared that he had never even seen him he had staid in with his wife and had not been to the poor girl was agitated with the most painful doubts could it be possible that this steward was an agent of her guardian they were going to egypt � just where had attempted to convey her before she had almost fainted when she began to realize her situation but she recovered her self possession in a few she glanced at the envelope of the letter and then with a desperate impulse without considering her responsibility for such an act she tore it open she read the letter to the end where was placed the well known signature of her guardian though the language was rather guarded it fully confirmed her worst suspicions and his wife were certainly the agents of the steamer was not yet in motion and she hastily gathered together a few necessary articles of clothing determined to make her escape from the vessel before it was too late unfortunately as it seemed to her then it was already too late for before she could leave her cabin the steamer started she was almost in despair but she was full of gi eat resolutions she carefully secured the letter upon person and felt fully justified in opening it by the revelations it contained she heard the continual whistle of the steamer shores or as she made her way through the fog and rolling in the heavy sea which the bad weather had stirred up came to her door but she pleaded illness and begged to be left to herself for three hours the steamer continued on her coarse and then her wheels suddenly stopped heard violent shouting on the deck above and a rapid tramp of feet on the which were immediately followed by a crash which the vessel so that she was nearly thrown from the stool on which she was sitting the shouts and on deck increased and she was confident that some disaster had occurred grasping the bundle she had made up she hastened upon deck where she found some of the sailors lowering the boats and the passengers rushing wildly to and in the panic of fear ahead of the steamer she saw the tall and the white sails of a ship in the fog hut she was unable to comprehend the situation the academy which left four days before the event just described had delightful weather and a fair but light wind till the vessels were ofl cape � the southern point of the toe of the boot not more than fifty miles from which was the next port at which they were to anchor the journals of the students 