"Ah," he said, laughing, "so our gallant Englishman is on the watch, is he? Does the jealous trembler think I would steal his wife?" "Dog!" hissed Dutch, catching him by the throat, "what are you doing here?" "What is that to you, fool!" exclaimed the Cuban, flashing into rage. "Loose me, you madman, or you shall repent it. Curse you, you are strong." Blind to everything but his maddening passion, kept back now for so many days, and absorbed by the feeling that he could now wreak his vengeance upon the man who had wrecked his home, Dutch savagely tightened his hold upon his adversary, who, though a strong man, bent like a reed before him. It was no time for reason to suggest that he might be wrong; the idea had possession of the young man's soul that he was stopping an intended flight, and he drove the Cuban backwards, and had nearly forced him across a garden seat when Laure, writhing like an eel, got partly free. "Curse your English brute strength!" he muttered, and getting his arm from his cloak, he struck Dutch full on the temple with some weapon, and the young man fell once more prone on the grass. STORY ONE, CHAPTER EIGHT. BREAKING THE CONTRACT. Five days had passed since the encounter in the garden, and Dutch Pugh had not been back to his home. He had lain for some time stunned from the blow he had received, and then risen half-dazed, and in a wretched, dejected way made for the town, where, letting himself into the office, he had thrown himself upon the floor, and slept heavily till morning, to the great surprise of the clerks, who found him there when they came. With an intense desire to hide his anguish from everyone, he had given out that he had fallen asleep after being many hours at work, and no notice was taken of his soiled clothes. Then, with the truth gradually oozing out, that no flight had been intended, but that for some reason, so Mr Parkley said, Senor Laure had gone back to his hotel, Dutch worked on, superintending till the vessel was ready for sea. The stores and machinery were complete for the purpose, and the passengers were on board. Moreover, a brother of Mr Parkley had been invited to assist in the business during the chief partner's absence, and together Mr Parkley and Dutch walked down to the dock. "We had a sort of hint from Bessy Studwick that you haven't been home for some days, Pugh," said Mr Parkley. "Don't talk about it, please." "Well, I won't much," said Mr Parkley, "for I guess a great deal. It was all my fault, Dutch, my dear boy. I had no business to have proposed such a thing, and, believe me, if I had known what a scoundrel the fellow was, I would never have entered into this project with him." "Pray say no more," exclaimed Dutch. "I must, my dear boy, I must, for I want to clear myself. You see the preparation for this trip means five thousand pounds, and I cannot throw the matter over; the loss is too heavy, or else I would." "Oh, no, it is impossible," exclaimed Dutch.