"I hope you didn't mind," I answered apologetically. "I couldn't think of anything else to do for the moment." She shook her head, with the same gleam of amusement in her eyes that I had seen before. "On the contrary," she said, "I am extremely obliged to you. I have the greatest possible objection to being cheated." She paused, and, bending sideways, looked out ahead of us. "I wonder if anybody on the ship saw what happened," she added. "There seem to be several people leaning over the side." I fancied I could detect a faint trace of anxiety in her voice, as though she rather dreaded the possibility she referred to. "I don't suppose so," I said comfortingly. "The sun's in their eyes, and we were some distance off." "It's only my uncle I am thinking of," she exclaimed. "As long as no one says anything to him it doesn't matter in the least. He is not very well, you know, and I shouldn't like him to be upset or--or annoyed." She brought out the last word with some hesitation, and then stopped, as though rather regretting that she had made use of it. "I'm sure it will be all right," I repeated. "There's something very deceptive about the Portuguese atmosphere. If anybody imagines they saw anything, I shall let them know that they were making a mistake." By this time we had drawn close enough to the _Neptune_ to be able to distinguish the small group of people who were watching our approach. It was with a certain feeling of discomfort that I recognised amongst them the burly figure of Ross, for I knew that, whatever the others might have missed, nothing would have escaped his singularly observant eye. Still, I comforted myself with the thought that he was the last person who would be likely to gossip unnecessarily, and that it was only I myself who would be the victim of his amiable banter. As our two boatmen brought us alongside the ship in sullen silence, a sailor who had been waiting at the top of the ladder ran down and caught hold of the gunwale. I guessed from his expression that he also had been an intelligent witness of our little disturbance, a suspicion which was fully confirmed by his opening remark. "Been 'avin' trouble with 'em, sir?" he enquired. I assisted Miss de Roda out of the boat, and collected the one or two small parcels which I had brought with me. "It was a case of sudden illness," I explained. "One of our friends here was taken faint, and I had to pour some water over his head. He is feeling better now."