"All right," said Deedes savagely. "You've said about enough, and in the cuddy I'll trouble you to hold your tongue altogether. The mate's asleep in the other stateroom--take care you don't lose yours! Take jolly good care this isn't your first and last meal up here!" After breakfast I smoked a pipe in the cross-trees, and looked in vain for a passing funnel: only a few insignificant sails were in sight, and those to leeward. The sea lay under me like a great blue plate, the schooner a white ant crawling in its centre. But for the swell, we might have been in Corio Bay. Should I ever see it again, I wondered, with the straight streets sloping to its brink? And I wondered if Deedes had the same thought, as he leant over the taffrail studying the wake; or had he more pangs and fears than he pretended, and were we less safe? The captain joined him, whereupon Deedes retreated to the house, with black looks that were blacker still a few minutes later when he returned. Instead of rejoining the captain, he now came aloft to my cross-trees, and I made up my mind that we were to have it out in mid-air. Deedes passed me, however, without a word, and I saw a telescope sticking out of his pocket as he climbed higher. I thought it as well to let him have the mast to himself, and left him sweeping the horizon from near the truck. Yet my own eyes were pretty good, and they had descried no sign of sail or smoke to windward. Why then this change in Deedes? Thoroughly puzzled, I reached the deck and strolled idly to the house; and the puzzle solved itself even as I entered and saw who was seated at the table. "Miss I'Anson!" I fairly shouted. "Yes--it is I. He said I should not see you. Do go--do go before he comes!" "Go!" I cried. "Not see you! I shall see you and stay with you until I'm dragged out by force. That is"--I added suddenly--"unless you are here of your own free will. In that case----" "No, no!" cried the girl. "By trickery! By wicked, heartless, abominable lies! Nothing else--oh, nothing else would have brought me to this!" "Then we're in the same boat with a vengeance," said I, seating myself on the opposite side of the table. "Tell me how it happened--and quickly. He has talked already of putting me in irons; he'll do it after this."