“I mean to say nothing,” said Captain Stubbs, putting his huge hands on the table. “But when a man comes into my cabin and begins to hum an’ haw an’ hint at things, and then begins to ask my advice about bigamy, I can’t help thinking. This is a free country, and there’s no law ag’in thinking. Make a clean breast of it, cap’n, an’ I’ll do what I can for you.” “You’re a blanked fool,” said Captain Thomsett wrathfully. Captain Stubbs shook his head gently, and smiled with infinite patience. “P’raps so,” he said modestly. “P’raps so; but there’s one thing I can do, and that is, I can read people.” “You can read me, I s’pose?” said Thomsett sneeringly. “Easy, my lad,” said the other, still preserving, though by an obvious effort, his appearance of judicial calm. “I’ve seen your sort before. One in pertikler I call to mind. He’s doing fourteen years now, pore chap. But you needn’t be alarmed, cap’n. Your secret is safe enough with me.” Captain Thomsett got up and pranced up and down the cabin, but Captain Stubbs remained calm. He had seen _that_ sort before. It was interesting to the student of human nature, and he regarded his visitor with an air of compassionate interest. Then Captain Thomsett resumed his seat, and, to preserve his own fair fame, betrayed that of George. “I knew it was either you or somebody your kind ’art was interested in,” said the discomfited Stubbs, as they resumed the interrupted game. “You can’t help your face, cap’n. When you was thinking about that pore chap’s danger it was working with emotion. It misled me, I own it, but it ain’t often I meet such a feeling ’art as yours.” Captain Thomsett, his eyes glowing affectionately, gripped his friend’s hand, and in the course of the game listened to an exposition of the law relating to bigamy of a most masterly and complicated nature, seasoned with anecdotes calculated to make the hardiest of men pause on the brink of matrimony and think seriously of their position. “Suppose this woman comes aboard after pore George,” said Thomsett. “What’s the best thing to be done?” “The first thing,” said Captain Stubbs, “is to gain time. Put her off.” “Off the ship, d’ye mean?” inquired the other. “No, no,” said the jurist. “Pretend he’s ill and can’t see anybody. By gum, I’ve got it.” He slapped the table with his open hand, and regarded the other triumphantly. “Let him turn into his bunk and pretend to be dead,” he continued, in a voice trembling with pride at his strategy. “It’s pretty dark down your foc’sle, I know. Don’t have no light down there, and tell him to keep quiet.” Captain Thomsett’s eyes shone, but with a qualified admiration. “Ain’t it somewhat sudden?” he demurred. Captain Stubbs regarded him with a look of supreme artfulness, and slowly closed one eye. “He got a chill going in the water,” he said quietly. “Well, you’re a masterpiece,” said Thomsett ungrudgingly. “I will say this of you, you’re a masterpiece. Mind this is all to be kept quite secret.”