Page 53 - for-the-term-of-his-natural-life

‘Say it went out,’ she said in a fierce whisper, ‘and hold
your tongue. Leave me to manage.’
She bent over the convict as if to arrange his pillow, and
then glided out of the cabin, just as Pine descended the
hatchway.
‘Hallo!’ cried he, stumbling, as he missed his footing;
‘where’s the light?’
‘Here, sir,’ says Miles, fumbling with the lantern. ‘It’s all
right, sir. It went out, sir.’
‘Went out! What did you let it go out for, you blockhead!’
growled the unsuspecting Pine. ‘Just like you boobies! What
is the use of a light if it ‘goes out’, eh?’ As he groped his
way, with outstretched arms, in the darkness, Sarah Purfoy
slipped past him unnoticed, and gained the upper deck.

For the Term of His Natural Life