“Yet you can admire a woman of spirit in the parson’s daughter!” “Spirit! Egad, it needs no spirit to call in half a score of your villainous confederates to make an end to one man.” Ann came up and planted herself before him. “I wanted no confederates to help me with you. I did propose that task for myself,” said she, “in return for the humbling you gave me t’other day in sight of all my friends.” “Ay, so you did. But your pistol missed fire, and I was too quick for you afterwards.” Even as he spoke his taunting words, he saw her hand go quickly towards the cutlass she carried at her side. And he smiled as he sprang up and changed his place to the other settle, thus putting the open trap-door to the cellar below between himself and her. “Come,” said she, frowning and tossing back her short hair like a fury, “you shall not say but I play you fair. Out with your sword and fight me again, as you did that day. If you get the best of it this time I’ll see you safe out of this, I give you my word.” Tregenna shook his head. “I can neither take your word, nor fight you,” said he, lightly. “You have fought me before! Did you find me such a contemptible foe?” “No, indeed. But—I knew you not then for a woman.” “Well, and you own me not for a woman now!” “Just too much of a woman for me to fight with you I will own you to be.” “Well, then, since you find me too much of a woman to be fought with, you shall find me woman enough to give me a kiss.” “Nay, madam, I would rather be excused from that mark of your favor also. A kiss may be given with the lips and a stab with the hand at the same time.” “You shall make fast my hands with this rope, sir, and then maybe you will be satisfied of my harmlessness.” “Nay, madam, ’twould take more than a rope to satisfy me of that!” retorted Tregenna. Ann laughed; and he was surprised to note the change which had come over her countenance. This fierce creature, who but a moment ago had looked like a fiend with her glittering eyes and frowning brows, had been transformed, by a fresh gust of the passions which were so strong in her, to a being gentle, mild, humble, and submissive; and all the more dangerous on that account. “You are hard to please, sir,” said she, in a low voice; “harder to please than any man I have ever met before!” And she gave him a steady glance of her glowing eyes which was a fresh revelation as to her strongly emotional temperament. He began to understand the hold she got on the men she met, high and low, her equals and her superiors, as he noted the transformation from the bold and daring front of the young buccaneer to the modest mien and diffident voice of the more gracious members of her sex. And he acknowledged to himself that the two sides to her nature gave her a fascination, an odd attractiveness, which made her a creature unique, unapproachable, dangerous. “I think, Mistress Ann,” said he, “’twould be better for us if you pleased us less easily.”