'But you can! _You're_ all right. I saw that from the first. Don't go back on me now or I shall go to pieces like the _Drummond Castle_. I beg your pardon, old man; but, you see, you _do_ know the dog. I'll prove it. What's that dog doing? Come on! _You_ know.' A tremor shook him, and he put his hand on my knee, and whispered with great meaning: 'I'll letter or halve it with you. There! You begin.' 'S,' said I to humour him, for a dog would most likely be standing or sitting, or may be scratching or sniffling or staring. 'Q,' he went on, and I could feel the heat of his shaking hand. 'U,' said I. There was no other letter possible; but I was shaking too. 'I.' 'N.' 'T-i-n-g,' he ran out. 'There! That proves it. I knew you knew him. You don't know what a relief that is. Between ourselves, old man, he--he's been turning up lately a--a damn sight more often than I cared for. And a squinting dog--a dog that squints! I mean that's a bit _too_ much. Eh? What?' He gulped and half rose, and I thought that the full tide of delirium would be on him in another sentence. 'Not a bit of it,' I said as a last chance, with my hand over the bellpush. 'Why, you've just proved that I know him; so there are two of us in the game, anyhow.' 'By Jove! that _is_ an idea! Of course there are. I knew you'd see me through. We'll defeat them yet. Hi, pup!... He's gone. Absolutely disappeared!' He sighed with relief, and I caught the lucky moment. 'Good business! I expect he only came to have a look at me,' I said. 'Now, get this drink down and turn in to the lower bunk.' He obeyed, protesting that he could not inconvenience me, and in the midst of apologies sank into a dead sleep. I expected a wakeful night, having a certain amount to think over; but no sooner had I scrambled into the top bunk than sleep came on me like a wave from the other side of the world. In the morning there were apologies, which we got over at breakfast before our party were about. 'I suppose--after this--well, I don't blame you. I'm rather a lonely chap, though.' His eyes lifted dog-like across the table. 'Shend,' I replied, 'I'm not running a Sunday school. You're coming home with me in my car as soon as we land.' 'That is kind of you--kinder than you think.' 'That's because you're a little jumpy still. Now, I don't want to mix up in your private affairs--' 'But I'd like you to,' he interrupted. 'Then, would you mind telling me the Christian name of a girl who was insulted by a man called Clements?' 'Moira,' he whispered; and just then Mrs. Godfrey and Milly came to table with their shore-going hats on.