It was my opportunity. Violet herself had proposed that the original agreement--the agreement which bound me to ask for no share of the treasure--should be canceled. Nothing now was necessary to the ripening of my hopes but to induce Dugald Shaw to immolate himself. Would he do so--on my bare word? There was no time to explain anything--he must trust me. I sprang up and dashed over to the pair who stood looking gloomily out to sea. They turned in surprise and stared down, the two big men, into my flushed up-tilted face. "Mr. Shaw," I whispered quickly, "you must do as Miss Browne wishes." In my earnestness I laid a hand upon his arm. He regarded me bewilderedly. "You must--you must!" I urged. "You'll spoil everything if you refuse!" The surprise in his face yielded to a look composed of many elements, but which was mainly hard and bitter. "And still I shall refuse," he said sardonically. "Oh, no, no," I implored, "you don't understand! I--oh, if you would only believe that I am your friend!" His face changed subtly. It was still questioning and guarded, but with a softening in it, too. "Why don't you believe it?" I whispered unsteadily. "Do you forget that I owe you my life?" And at the recollection of that day in the sea-cave the scarlet burned in my cheeks and my head drooped. But I saw how the lines about his mouth relaxed. "Surely you must know that I would repay you if I could!" I hurried on. "And not by--treachery." He laughed suddenly. "Treachery? No! I think you would always be an open foe." "Indeed I would!" I answered with a flash of wrath. Then, as I remembered the need of haste, I spoke in an intense quick whisper. "Listen--I can't explain, there isn't time. I can only ask you to trust me--to agree to what Miss Browne wishes. Everything--you don't dream how much--depends on it!" For I felt that I would let the treasure lie hidden in the _Island Queen_ forever rather than that Mr. Tubbs should, under the original contract, claim a share of it. The doubt had quite left his face. "I do trust you, little Virginia," he said gently. "Yes, I trust in your honesty, heaven knows, child. But permit me to question your wisdom in desiring to enrich our friend Tubbs." "Enrich him--enrich _him_! The best I wish him is unlimited gruel in an almshouse somewhere. No! What I want is to get that wretched paper of Miss Browne's nullified. Afterward we can divide things up as we like--" Bewilderment, shot with a gleam of half-incredulous understanding, seemed to transfix him. We stood a long moment, our eyes challenging each other, exchanging their countersign of faith and steadfastness. Then slowly he held out his hand. I laid mine in it--we stood hand in hand, comrades at last. Without more words he turned away and strode over to the council of three.