"Well, you are to blame. I should have been in my little bunk and probably far away in the Land of Nod had you been content to remain aboard and not start out on a very Quixotic errand. But I am only joking, Roderic. You have met with adventures, of that I am sure from what I saw and heard. Poor Jerome has once more crossed your path and found it one of thorns. Now, you must tell me all that happened, do you hear, Sir Galahad?" A little hand slipped through his arm, and Roderic found himself obliged to surrender. So, as they walked up and down he told the story of what had occurred; several times they paused at the rail to look at the riding lights that marked the position of the blockade runner, and while one sighed in rapturous satisfaction at the thought of the beauty aboard the Sterling Castle, the other experienced quite a different emotion. Cleo asked questions, and seemed bound to know all, so he felt compelled to tell her. Her interest in Georgia grew with each passing day, and strange to say the yearning to meet and know this daughter of the tropics became an absorbing dream--she felt as though destiny drew their life lines in the same channel, these two who both loved Roderic Owen. Perhaps he was wise enough to refrain from entering into minute particulars when describing the interview with Georgia--even men head over heels in love are given a small amount of common sense on occasions of this kind. Finally Roderic persuaded her to retire. The hour was late and he himself now confessed to drowsiness. By this time the town had given up its mad merriment--gone were many of the lights and the music of the band had long since ceased to be a factor in the mighty drama. Even in the romantic Azores men must take a portion of the night for sleep--it cannot be given wholly over to song and amusement. Captain Beven was a wary old sea dog. He believed an ounce of prevention to be much better than a pound of cure. There was no danger in sight, and probably it would be an act of madness on Shackelford's part to attempt to board the steam yacht under cover of darkness and secure the person of the man who had been aboard the blockade runner in disguise. All the same, chances or not, Beven did not intend to neglect any precaution, for he was a man who did not believe in being caught napping. To shut the door after the horse was stolen might be good policy with some men, but his idea lay in securing it ere this event happened. Before retiring Roderic had an interview with the captain, and learned that worthy's views. Then he sought his little stateroom. As fortune would have it he was situated on that side of the boat nearer the steamer, and from either one of the bulls-eye openings he could see the uncertain dark mass that told just where the blockade runner lay, as well as her twinkling riding lights which must be kept burning the livelong night in order to prevent accident should arriving vessels enter the snug harbor.