In half an hour the boat rounded the new pier, and they were in the harbour of Hugh Town at the foot of the landing steps. 'Now,' said Armorel, 'you had better get home as fast as you can and have some supper.' 'Why,' cried the artist, realising the fact for the first time, 'you are bare-headed! You will kill yourself.' 'I am used to going about bare-headed. I shall come to no harm. Now go and get some food.' 'And you?' The young man stood on the stepping-stones ready to mount. 'We shall put up the sail and get back to Samson in twenty minutes. There is breeze enough for that.' 'Will you tell us,' said the artist, 'before you go--to whom we are indebted for our very lives?' 'My name is Armorel.' 'May we call upon you? To-night we are too bewildered. We cannot say what we ought and must say.' 'I live on Samson. What is your name?' 'My name is Roland Lee. My friend here is called Dick Stephenson.' 'You can come if you wish. I shall be glad to see you,' she corrected herself, thinking she had been inhospitable and ungracious. 'Am I to ask for Miss Armorel?' She laughed merrily. 'You will find no one to ask, I am afraid. Nobody else, you see, lives on Samson. When you land, just turn to the left, walk over the hill, and you will find the house on the other side. Samson is not so big that you can miss the house. Good-night, Roland Lee! Good-night, Dick Stephenson!' 'She's only a child,' said the young man called Dick, as he climbed painfully and fearfully up the dark and narrow steps, slippery with sea-weed and not even protected by an inner bar. 'I suppose it doesn't much matter since she's only a child. But I merely desire to point out that it's always the way. If there does happen to be an adventure accompanied by a girl--most adventures bring along the girl: nobody cares, in fact, for an adventure without a girl in it--I'm put in the background and made to do the work while you sit down and talk to the girl. Don't tell me it was accidental. It was the accident of design. Hang it all! I'll turn painter myself.' CHAPTER III IN THE BAR PARLOUR