He offered his hand with a stealthy gesture, rather as though he were trying to pick my grandfather's waistcoat pocket; so that the old man stared at the hand for a moment, as if to see what he would be at, before he shook it. "Down in the world again, Cap'en Nat," said Viney, with a shrug. "Ay, I heard," answered Captain Nat. "I'm very sorry; but there--perhaps you'll be up again soon...." * * * * * "I come to ask you about something," Viney proceeded, as they walked away toward the bar-parlour door. "Something you'll tell me, bein' an old shipmate, if you can find out, I'm sure. Can we go into your place? No, there's a woman there." "Only one as does washin' up an' such. I'll send her upstairs if you like." "No, out here's best; we'll walk up and down; people get hangin' round doors an' keyholes in a place like that. Here we can see who's near us." "What, secrets?" "Ay." Viney gave an ugly twist to his grin. "I know some o' yours--one big un' at any rate, Cap'en Nat, don't I? So I can afford to let you into a little 'un o' mine, seein' I can't help it. Now I'd like to know if you've seen anything of Marr." "No,--haven't seen him for months. Bolted, they tell me, an'--well you know better'n me, I expect." "I don't know," Viney replied with emphasis. "I ought to know, but I don't. See here now. Less than a week ago he cleared out, an' then I filed my petition. He might ha' been gone anywhere--bolted. Might be abroad, as would seem most likely. In plain fact he was only coming down in these parts to lie low. See? Round about here a man can lie low an' snug, an' safer than abroad, if he likes. And he had money with him--all we could get together. See?" And Viney frowned and winked, and glanced stealthily over his shoulder. "Ah," remarked Captain Nat, drily, "I see. An' the creditors----" "Damn the creditors! See here, Cap'en Nat Kemp. Remember a man called Dan Webb?" Captain Nat paled a little, and tightened his lips. "Remember a man called Dan Webb?" Viney repeated, stopping in his walk and facing the other with the uneasy grin unchanged. "A man called Dan Webb, aboard o' the _Florence_ along o' you an' me? 'Cause I do, anyhow. That's on'y my little hint--we're good friends altogether, o' course, Cap'en Nat; but you know what it means. Well, Marr had money with him, as I said. He was to come to a quiet anchorage hereabout, got up like a seaman, an' let me know at once." Captain Nat, his mouth still set tight, nodded, with a grunt. "Well, he didn't let me know. I heard nothing at all from him, an' it struck me rather of a heap to think that p'raps he'd put the double on me, an' cleared out in good earnest. But yesterday I got news. A blind fiddler chap gave me some sort o' news." Captain Nat remembered the meeting at the street corner in the evening after the funeral. "Blind George?" he queried.