There was nobody in the house to hear him but Mrs. Richenough. She came forward, slightly overcome by drowsiness; but the sight she saw woke her up effectually. "Good mercy!" cried she, running to the prostrate man. "Is he dead?" "He looks dead," shivered Mr. Saxby, hardly knowing whether he was not dead himself. They raised Pym's head, and put a pillow under it. The landlady wrung her hands. "We must have a doctor," she cried: "but I can see he is dead. This comes of that quarrel with his captain: I heard them raving frightfully at one another. There has been a scuffle here--see that chair. Oh! and look at my beautiful ivory knocked down!--and the shade all broke to atoms!" "I'll fetch Mr. Ferrar," cried Saxby, feeling himself rather powerless to act; and with nobody to aid him but the gabbling woman. Like mad, Saxby tore up the street, burst in at Mark Ferrar's open door and went full butt against Mark himself; who was at the moment turning quickly out of it. "Take care, Saxby. What are you about?" "Oh, for Heaven's sake do come, Mr. Ferrar! Pym is dead. He is lying dead on the floor." The first thing Ferrar did was to scan his junior officer narrowly, wondering whether he could be quite sober. Yes, he seemed to be that; but agitated to trembling, and his face as pale as death. The next minute Ferrar was bending over Pym. Alas, he saw too truly that life was extinct. "It's his skipper that has done it, sir," repeated the landlady. "Hush, Mrs. Richenough!" rebuked Ferrar. "Captain Tanerton has not done this." "But I heard 'em screeching and howling at one another, sir," persisted Mrs. Richenough. "Their quarrel must have come to blows." "I do not believe it," dissented Ferrar. "Captain Tanerton would not be capable of anything of the kind. Fight with a man who has served under him!--you don't understand things, Mrs. Richenough." Saxby had run for the nearest medical man. Ferrar ran to find his captain. He knew that Captain Tanerton intended to put up at a small hotel in the Minories for the night. To this hotel went Ferrar, and found Captain Tanerton. Tired with his evening's search after Pym, the captain was taking some refreshment, before going up to Sir Dace Fontaine's--which he had promised, in Sir Dace's anxiety, to do. He received Ferrar's report--that Pym was dead--with incredulity: did not appear to believe it: but he betrayed no embarrassment, or any other guilty sign. "Why, I came straight here from Pym," he observed. "It's hardly twenty minutes since I left him. He was all right then--except that he had been having more drink." "Old Mother Richenough says, sir, that Pym and you had a loud quarrel." "Say that, does she," returned the captain carelessly. "Her ears must have deceived her, Mr. Ferrar." "A quarrel and fight she says, sir. I told her I knew better."