"John Tolly's dead or thereabouts." "Dead?" "So Sam says." "Tut, tut, tut!" ejaculated Mr Parkley. "Always something wrong. Pugh, you'll have to go down directly, and set an example, or I must. Tolly always comes up dead when he don't like a job." "No, no, no!" exclaimed Mrs Pugh, leaping off to catch her husband by the arm. "He must never go down again. Promise me you will not go," she cried, turning her ashy face up to his. "But she is beautiful indeed!" muttered the Cuban. "My darling," whispered Dutch, "be a woman. There is no danger." "No danger!" she wailed. "Dutch, I've dreamed night after night of some terrible trouble, and it is this. You must not--must not go." "My darling," he whispered. And, bending over her, he said a few words in her ear, which made her set her teeth firmly and try to smile, as she stood up clasping his hand. "I will try," she whispered--"try so hard." "I'm ready, Mr Parkley," said the young man, hoarsely. "That's right, Pugh. Go and set matters square. I'll see your wife safe back home." "I leave her to you," said Dutch, in a low voice. "Good-bye, my darling, get back home. I'll join you soon," he whispered, and hurried out of the office. But as he turned for a moment, it was to see the Cuban's eyes fixed upon the trembling girl; while the goblinlike figures against the wall seemed to be nodding and gibbering at him, as if laughing at the troubles that assailed his breast. "Off down to Barrport, Mr Pug?" said Rasp, as he stood in the outer office. "Yes, instantly. Come, Oakum," he said, to a rough-looking sailor, who stood hat in hand. "Sharp's the word, Mr Pug," said Rasp; "but I say," he continued, pointing with his thumb over his shoulder, "that foreign chap, I don't like the looks o' he." "I tell you what it is, sir," said the rough-looking sailor, as he walked by Dutch Pugh's side down to the station. "If I weer much along o' that Rasp, it would soon come to a row." "Why, man?" "'Cause he's such a overbearing sort of a chap. He's one of them kind as always thinks he's skipper, and every one else is afore the mast. If he'd come aboard the ship and hailed me, I should ha' ast him to sit down on the deck and handed him the bacco; but when I comes in he sits and stares at one orty like, and goes on taking his bacco, in a savage sorter way, up his nose, and never so much as says, `Have a pinch, mate,' or the like." "You don't know him, my man," said Dutch, quietly. "And don't want to," growled the old sailor. "I should just like to have him aboard our vessel for a month. I'd show him how to count ten, I know." "Well, there are more unlikely things," said Dutch. "Perhaps he may sail with you." "What, are we going off, sir?" said the sailor, facing round. "I don't know yet," said Dutch, "but it is possible."