"There will be no fight.--Silence! would you spoil everything?" he demanded. "They must not know there are women here." Instantly the glad cries were hushed. "My womenfolk are in Annapolis," he went on. "The pirate chief has consented to retire. Judith, will you gather together all our silver--not the Hedgely silver, just our own--and tie it up in a sheet, or two sheets, if necessary." "Surely, Mr. Marbury, this is not the entire ransom?" said Mrs. Plater. "A little matter of a few gold pieces--no, not a pistole from my guests, madame--I have the necessary cash." "We will reimburse you----" He shook his head. "Why should you pay for us?" she demanded, as Marbury detached himself from the group and made for the stairs. "Because it is my pleasure," he said, and hurried away to his room. When he returned, with two bags in which were the twelve hundred sovereigns, the silver was in a pile on the floor of the dining-room. Platters and candelabra, spoons and trays had been thrown into an indiscriminate heap, and bound up in a great table-cloth. "Sam--here!" he said to a negro servant, and pointed to the silver. "Carry it behind me." Sam's teeth were chattering, and his face took on the peculiar shade which goes with the negro's fear, but discipline prevailed, and he took up the bundle and followed his master, though quaking in every muscle. Long-Sword was pacing slowly back and forth, his hands behind his back, his head upon his breast. As Marbury approached, he looked up and smiled pleasantly. "It is a queer trade, monsieur, this of a pirate," he said. "Always over a volcano--never knowing peace and quiet--every man's hand against you, and yours against every man. You may not believe me, but I like it not." [Illustration: "IT IS A QUEER TRADE, MONSIEUR, THIS OF A PIRATE," HE SAID.] "Then why do you follow it?" asked Marbury, handing over the gold, and motioning for the slave to put down the silver. "Force of circumstances, drove me to it," counting the sovereigns. "Which is the same thing as natural inclination," Marbury replied. "You mean, that circumstances force one only where one wants to go?" "Exactly!" "And therefore that I am a pirate from choice?" "Certainly!" "Are you paying me this gold from choice, or from force of circumstances?" "I, most assuredly, am _not_ paying from choice." "Neither am I a pirate from choice, monsieur. But, being one, I believe in being a good one." "Which means, that you are a particularly bad one." Long-Sword laughed. "You have no evidence of it, monsieur. Surely, I was not rapacious in my terms to you!--There are four sovereigns too many----" "I know," said Marbury. "I gave you all the gold I had." The pirate gravely returned them. "It was to be twelve hundred, no more. This is the silver?" pointing to the bundle in white. "Very good--my men shall be immediately withdrawn. Monsieur, I have the honor to salute you, and to bid you farewell," and he bared his head and bowed low.