“Send in the gentleman who went last into the room,” he said to the messenger, and before Jack or Priscilla had recovered from their surprise, a black-bearded, well-built man, wearing a jacket and carrying a tall hat of an obsolete pattern that had been called in several years before, entered the room, and gave a fine quarterdeck bow all round. “Captain Lyman,” said Mr. Liscomb, “this is the lady and gentleman about whom we had our chat just now.” “Proud, ma’am--proud, sir,” said Captain Lyman, bowing once more. “Captain Lyman,” said Priscilla quickly. “Was your sister Lucy ever married to Marcus Blaydon?” “Never, ma’am, never; and never will be if I can help it,” was the reply. CHAPTER XXXV There was a long silence in the room when that quick answer had been given to Priscilla’s quick question. Captain Lyman looked first at Priscilla, then at Jack, and lastly at Mr. Liscomb. He seemed not to understand quite why he had been asked that question, but as it had been asked, he was ready to reply to any other that might be put to him. But no one seemed to have a question ready. It was Mr. Liscomb who broke the silence. He looked up from the newspaper which he had been reading and said: “Captain Lyman, I should like to ask you how it came that you allowed that report of the man’s being drowned to be published in the papers when you were aware of his being alive, and why you allowed him to be written about as a hero when you knew from the first that he had cast off the line, leaving you and your shipmates to your fate, as you say in this letter? That’s a question which people will be pretty sure to ask, and you may as well be prepared for it.” “I’m quite prepared for it, sir,” replied Lyman. “I cooked the report for the benefit of my sister, who was--but it’s a long story, sir, and there’s not much in it that you haven’t heard before, of a woman without wisdom and a man without a conscience.” “It’s the oldest story in the world--and the newest; but every variation of it is interesting--in fact, nobody cares about any other sort of story,” said Mr. Liscomb.