‘No chance of it,’ he exclaimed; ‘the vessel that was hove to close by long ago took every living creature aboard. Fine night, isn’t it?’ ‘It is a beautiful night,’ said I. ‘It’s a bit early still,’ said he, making a step to cast his eye upon a clock that stood in one of the skylights. ‘There’s no hurry this time; not like one o’clock in the morning.’ ‘If Mrs. Lee were on deck,’ said I, ‘I should be glad to remain here and walk a little. The air is sweet and refreshing, and the headache I have had this evening has gone. It is very warm in the steerage.’ ‘It’ll be warmer by-and-by,’ said he. ‘I should be happy to take a turn with you, but I have charge of the deck and strolling wouldn’t be in order. But there’s no law to hinder a man from talking on a fine clear night like this, and with your permission I shall be glad of a short yarn with you, miss.’ ‘What do you wish to say?’ said I, feeling uneasy. ‘I hope you do not mean to talk to me about shocks. I do not like the idea of such things, and beg that you will not say a word about them.’ ‘It’s not shocks to-night,’ said he, ‘though--but as I see you don’t like the subject I’ll drop it. What I want to talk to you about is that gipsy woman. I’ve been turning over what she said as to your being married and having a husband waiting for you at home, and the like of that. What are your sentiments on what that tar-brush of a woman told you this afternoon?’ ‘Do not ask me, Mr. Harris. I remember nothing, and it would be all the same if the gipsy had told me I was the queen of England.’ He stood in the moonlight and I in the trunk-like shadow cast by the mast, and I observed that he regarded me steadfastly, with an expression of earnestness that might have gathered a deeper character than it really owned from the nature of the light; he eyed me as though he would read my face, but the shadow was as good as my veil, which I had not thought of putting on at that hour. ‘I’ll tell you what my notion is,’ said he; ‘that gipsy woman is full of lies. How should she know that you’re married? Wouldn’t you wear a wedding-ring if you were married? What does she want to make out: that your wedding-ring was stolen off your finger when you were in the boat? But those French chaps found you alone, didn’t they? You couldn’t have been very long unconscious, and who’s to tell me that you weren’t alone when you fell insensible? If there was a sailor with you, you must have been sensible when he was in the boat; and no man’s going to persuade me--whether you can remember that sailor plundering you or not--no man’s going to persuade me that any sailor or sailors--distressed as such people as were along with you must have been--supposing any parties to have been along with you----’ he paused, having lost the thread of his argument, and then, smiting the palm of his left hand with his fist, he exclaimed with subdued energy, ‘What I mean is, I don’t believe you were robbed.’