"Yes. You see, my father had been its President--in South America, you know--until the revolution compelled us to fly." This was said resignedly. "Oh," I murmured. "When was that?" "Years ago. I just remember being carried off one night in a great hurry." "Tell me the rest about Havana?" I asked, trying to appear calm. "It's all rather awful," she sighed. "I hadn't noticed your friends more than to get a glimpse of them as they left, but saw you alone at the table. Pretty soon our captain, Jess,"--she may have given a slight shudder, I wasn't sure--"came up and verified my father's suspicions, and then I thought he surely would lose his mind. I was already becoming frightened, especially as the creature, Jess, impertinently leered at me, and my father didn't knock him down for it. He had never dared look at me before, except most deferentially, and suddenly I felt that I was nearing something awful. I can't explain it. It just came to me all of a sudden, you know, with desperate certainty, and--and I wanted to run away." "Were you trying to tell me that?" She flushed, but answered steadily: "Yes. I thought you looked like a man who'd help a girl out of a mean place." "By Jove, that's the biggest compliment I've ever had!" "I only had a chance to write a little," she ignored my outburst, "but hoped you'd guess and tell your friend, the police agent." "I didn't guess that," I admitted, somewhat crestfallen. "But we knew you were in danger." "I should never have left that cafe if I'd known more myself, then," she said, tensely. "I'd have stood up and called to you--to every man there!" "And I'd have brought you out in spite of hell," I cried. "Don't tell me there was anything much worse!" Her cheeks were still aflame with anger, but she smiled, saying in a lower tone: "Nothing worse than threats. When we got aboard the yacht my father came to me and said, point-blank before those men, that--that--oh, I can't!" She buried her face in her hands--and it was all I could do to keep from putting my arms about her and whispering that everything was now all right. But she had started out to tell me, and was determined to see it through. "He said that he'd promised our captain, that creature Jess, that I should--should----" "Never mind," I murmured. "I know about it--he said you'd have to marry the scoundrel."