Captain Tanerton took his cap and started with Ferrar for Ship Street, plunging into a reverie. Presently he began to speak--as if he wished to account for his own movements. "When you left me, Mr. Ferrar--you know"--and here he exchanged a significant glance with his new first mate--"I went on to Ship Street, and took a look at Pym's room. A lamp was shining on the table, and his landlady had the window open, closing the shutters. This gave me an opportunity of seeing inside. Pym I saw; but not--not anyone else." Again Captain Tanerton's tone was significant. Ferrar appeared to understand it perfectly. It looked as though they had some secret understanding between them which they did not care to talk of openly. The captain resumed. "After fastening the shutters, Mrs. Richenough came to the door--for a breath of air, she remarked, as she saw me: and she positively denied, in answer to my questions, that any young lady was there. Mr. Pym had never had a young lady come after him at all, she protested, whether sister or cousin, or what not." "Yes, sir," said Ferrar: for the captain had paused. "I went in, and spoke to Pym. But, I saw in a moment that he had been drinking again. He was not in a state to be reasoned with, or talked to. I asked him but one question, and asked it civilly: would he tell me where Verena Fontaine was. Pym replied in an unwilling tone; he was evidently sulky. Verena Fontaine was at home again with her people; and he had not been able, for that reason, to see her. Thinking the ship had gone away, and he with it, Verena had returned home early in the afternoon. That was the substance of his answer." "But I--I don't know whether that account can be true, sir," hesitated Ferrar. "I was not sure, you know, sir, that it was the young lady; I said so----" "Yes, yes, I understood that," interrupted the captain quickly. "Well, it was what Pym said to me," he added, after a pause: "one hardly knows what to believe. However, she was not there, so far as I could ascertain and judge; and I left Pym and came up here to my hotel. I was not two minutes with him." "Then--did no quarrel take place, sir?" cried Ferrar, thinking of the landlady's story. "Not an angry word." At this moment, as they were turning into Ship Street, Saxby, who seemed completely off his head, ran full tilt against Ferrar. It was all over, he cried out in excitement, as he turned back with them: the doctor pronounced Pym to be really dead. "It is a dreadful thing," said the captain. "And, seemingly, a mysterious one." "Oh, it is dreadful," asserted young Saxby. "What will poor Miss Verena do? I saw her just now," he added, dropping his voice. "Saw her where?" asked the captain, taking a step backwards.