"I demand a father's right----" "Yes, yes. Please do as I suggest. I am sure Annette is wanting you." Alone, Mrs. Livingstone turned and faced Roger. Though she stood as hard and motionless as adamant, the jet pendants in her ears trembled and twinkled. And Payne, as he saw the hard lines about her mouth, lines of fear, struggle, determination, felt sorry for her. "What did you say to Annette?" "Not one word," replied Roger. "What did she say to you?" "That is a secret." "Why did she leave you--as she did?" "That is another secret--and she's the only one who knows it." For a moment they faced one another silently, then suddenly the woman blazed out: "How dare you interfere with my plans for her! Besides, let me inform you, it is too late. She is engaged to Mr. Garman." "She is to marry Garman?" asked Roger slowly. "Yes." "Then if it's settled--how can I interfere?" "You can't. I will not permit it. And if you could, what could you offer her? You've no money, no position, no influence. You're nobody. She is Annette Fairclothe. She is the last hope of the family. I have built our whole future upon her. There will be no interference with my plans." "She has a father----" "Pooh! That doddering ass! Do you think it is he who has enabled us to keep our position in Washington? And now he is going into his dotage, and the big men won't dare to use him much longer. I'm not blind, Mr. Payne; I can see as well as Garman. Let me speak seriously to you: Your presence here spells danger to Annette--serious danger." "Why?" "Because, rather than risk failure for my plans, I will not stop at anything in the world." "Why in the world should you threaten me, Mrs. Livingstone?" Mrs. Livingstone's lips parted in a terrible smile as she walked away. "You? Why, I was not thinking of you at all." Above the Egret a crippled white ibis, with a broken leg impeding its flight, was flying clumsily across the river. Close above it, with deadly intent, sailed a brown hawk. The hawk struck, but in spite of its handicap the ibis swerved in time to escape the deadly talons. Then pursued and pursuer disappeared in the jungle across the river. At Gumbo Key the black, scowlike hull carrying the ditching machinery, moving slowly in tow of a gasoline tug, was seen making headway across the bay toward the mouth of the river. As the Egret curved gracefully round the Key and came alongside the tug to place Payne aboard, Annette came and stood by his side. "You're not going back with us?" she asked. "No. It's better that I shouldn't. Don't you think so?" "Yes, I suppose it is." Her eyes looked out across the bay to the open sea beyond. "Oh! I wish I weren't going back there; I wish I would never see that place again." "Do you mean that?" "How can you doubt it!" The Egret had completed her curve and with throttled engines was creeping smoothly up to the ditching scow's side.