In the end, while he stood rigidly beside her, she laid her hand on his arm. "Dan'l," she said, "I wish--you would get over being so unhappy." He looked at her through the dark; his voice was like a croak. "Unhappy ..." he repeated. "It's not good for you, Dan'l," said Faith gently. "Unhappiness is--it's like a poison. It burns...." "Aye?" said Dan'l. "That's true, Faith. It burns...." "Why not forget it?" she urged. "You're actually growing thin on it, Dan'l. Your face is lined...." Dan'l tried to laugh. "One thing," he said, "the ship's on my hands, now. Noll Wing--he's aging. He's an old man, Faith." Faith turned her head away from him quickly; she bit her lip in the darkness. Dan'l repeated: "The _Sally's_ on my hands, Faith. I'm master--without the name of it." She said quietly: "Noll Wing is master here, Dan'l. Never think he is not." Dan'l turned abruptly away; he stood with his back to her. And as he stood there, the jealousy of Brander and all the rancor that was poisoning the man gave way for a moment to his tenderness for Faith. He swung back sharply, gripped her shoulders.... "Faith," he said harshly, "Noll is master. So be it. But, Faith--I may still love you. I do. Nothing on earth can stop it. It's all there is in me, Faith. You.... You.... I would worship you; he kicks you with every word, as he kicks a dog. Faith.... Faith...." She faced him squarely. "Dan'l, you are wrong. You are wrong to tell me this--to speak so.... It is not--manly, Dan'l." The reproach in her voice made him shrink; it fired him. He caught her, cried: "By God...." He would have swept her into his arms.... Brander said, from the top of the companion: "Mr. Tobey, shall I set a man at the wheel?... There's wind coming...." Dan'l cursed. "Hell!" He flung loose from Faith, he whirled on Brander.... The two men faced each other tensely, Dan'l crouching with bared teeth, Brander erect.... The starlight showed a little smile on his face. Abruptly, Dan'l straightened.... "Set a man at the wheel--and be damned, Brander!" he said. And he brushed past the fourth mate without a glance, and went below. Brander called through the darkness to a knot of men on the deck, forward. One came aft.... Faith still stood by the rail; Brander paid her no heed. The man took the wheel.... Brander leaned against the forward end of the deckhouse. After a little, Faith stirred, came to the companion to go below. At its top, she paused. "Good night, Mr. Brander," she said. "Good night," he called pleasantly. She went below. Dan'l, writhing in his bunk below old Tichel, who snored above him, heard her cross the cabin and go into Noll's. And the nails on his fingers bit his palms. * * * * * The second day after, Dan'l came down into the cabin to find Noll. "Would you mind coming on deck for a moment, sir?" he asked. Noll was reading; he looked up resentfully. "What now, Mr. Tobey? Can't you handle the ship?"