"Of course that explains it, Miss Malone. I don't doubt that he was clever enough to make you think him abused." "He didn't say a word of accusation against anyone." "Naturally not. When a man is bad enough to seem honest--" He drew a long, slow puff on his cigar by way of finishing his sentence and his eyes smiled kindly upon her. "I knew that he would do his worst to start mutiny among the crew; I didn't think he could get as far as the passengers." Her confidence was shaken to the ground. Then a new suspicion came to her. "If he is such a terrible character, why did you let him come aboard your ship?" Instead of answering, he pulled a cord. The bos'n appeared in a moment. "Tell this lady how Harrigan came aboard," ordered the captain, and he fastened a keen eye upon the bos'n. "Made it on the jump while we was pullin' out of dock," said the sailor. "Just managed to get his feet on the gangplank--came within an ace of falling into the sea." "That's all." The bos'n retreated and McTee turned back to Kate Malone. "He had asked me to sign him up for this trip," he explained. "If I'd set him ashore, he'd probably have been in the police court the next morning. So I let him stay. To be perfectly frank with you, I had a vague hope that gratitude might make a decent sailor out of him for a few days. But the very first night he started his work he began to talk discontent among the men in the forecastle, and such fellows are always ready to listen. Of course I could throw Harrigan in irons and feed him on bread and water; my authority is absolute at sea. But I don't want to do that if I can help it. Instead, I have been trying to discipline him with hard work. He knows that he can come to me at any time and speak three words which will release him from his troubles. But he won't say them--yet!" "Really?" she breathed. She began to feel deeply honored that such a man as McTee would make so long an explanation to her. "Shall I call him up here and ask him to say them now?" "Would you do that? Captain McTee, I'm afraid that I've been very foolish to bother you in this matter, but--" He silenced her with a wave of the hand, and pulled the cord. "Bring up Harrigan," he said, when the bos'n appeared again. "I've considered myself a judge of human nature," she apologized, "but I shall think a long time before I venture another decision." "You're wrong to feel that way. It would take a shrewd judge to see through Harrigan unless his record were known." The door opened and the bos'n entered with Harrigan. He fixed his eyes upon the captain without a glance for Kate Malone.