"Why, of course there are other keys to the cabin door," conceded Bretton with perfect good humor. From his own pocket as he spoke he drew forth a bunch of keys, freed them from their controlling ring, and tossed them in confused and confusing muddle after the cabin key. "Any of us can get out of this cabin in two minutes," he confided. "But it is not my intention that anybody should bolt from it in much less time than that. [197] Many a man has cooled his original purposes in the time that it takes to fit an unfamiliar key to a perfectly familiar lock. Also, while we are rating incidental things, it does not seem best to me that, with Lost Man and Alliman waiting in the launch, we should run any risk of being rushed from outside. If one of us should sneeze, for instance--or raise his voice in any special emphasis?--Alliman is so deplorably impulsive with his shot-gun." "I get you!" said Kaire. "There is not to be any fuss." "You get me perfectly," bowed Bretton. "Now for the--the discussion." Quite casually he walked over to the mahogany table, sat down, took a single interested glance at the blue prints and swept them all aside. "Let's all be seated," he said. Very reluctantly Daphne came forward into the light and slid down into the chair opposite him. "I--I look so funny," she deplored. "You certainly do," said her father. "Yet I would be willing to wager," he smiled quite unexpectedly, "that of all the variant ladies who have been entertained in this room there [198] has never been a lovelier one or--one more tempting." "_Sir_?" bridled Kaire. With the dark flush rising once again to his cheek-bones he sprang forward to the table and perched himself on the edge of it with a sinister sort of nonchalance. "_Sir_?" he repeated threateningly. "Oh, don't concern yourself for a moment with my daughter's tender sensibilities," begged Bretton. "Their conservation--you must understand--is still in my hands." Somberly for a moment each man concerned himself with the lighting of a fresh cigarette. Then Bretton jerked back his chair. "Just what was your plan, Kaire?" he asked. "I had planned," said Kaire, without an instant's hesitation, "to take Daphne to the first port we could make and marry her any old way she wanted to be married." "Why?" asked Bretton. "_Why_?" snarled Kaire. "_Why_? Well, what an extraordinary question! Why does any man marry any woman?" "For so many different reasons," said [199] Bretton, "that it rather specially interested me to hear just what yours were." "Why, I'm crazy about her!" flushed Kaire. "Utterly mad! Never saw anything in my life that I wanted so much!" "Well--_you can't have her_!" said Bretton.