ll by then and buzzing with voices. I had been looked
at with curiosity by every one, but how am I to describe the sensation
produced by the appearance of Falk himself blocking the doorway? The
tension of expectation could be measured by the profundity of the
silence that fell upon the very click of the billiard balls. As to
Schomberg, he looked extremely frightened; he hated mortally any sort
of row (fracas he called it) in his establishment. Fracas was bad
for business, he affirmed; but, in truth, this specimen of portly,
middle-aged manhood was of a timid disposition. I don't know what,
considering my presence in the place, they all hoped would come of it. A
sort of stag fight, perhaps. Or they may have supposed Falk had come in
only to annihilate me completely. As a matter of fact, Falk had come in
because Hermann had asked him to inquire after the precious white cotton
parasol which, in the worry and excitement of the previous day, he had
forgotten at the table where we had held our little discussion.

It was this that gave me my opportunity. I don't think I would have gone
to seek Falk out. No. I don't think so. There are limits. But there was
an opportunity and I seized it--I have already tried to explain why. Now
I will merely state that, in my opinion, to get his sickly crew into
the sea air and secure a quick despatch for his ship a skipper would be
justified in going to any length, short of absolute crime. He should
put his pride in his pocket; he may accept confidences; explain his
innocence as if it were a sin; he may take advantage of misconceptions,
of desires and of weaknesses; he ought to conceal his horror and other
emotions, and, if the fate of a human being, and that human being
a magnificent young girl, is strangely involved--why, he should
contemplate that fate (whatever it might seem to be) without turning a
hair. And all these things I have done; the explaining, the listening,
the pretending--even to the discretion--and nobody, not even Hermann's
niece, I believe, need throw stones at me now. Schomberg at all events
needn't, since from first to last, I am happy to say, there was not the
slightest "fracas."

Overcoming a nervous contraction of the windpipe, I had managed to
exclaim "Captain Falk!" His start of surprise was perfectly genuine, but
afterwards he neither smiled nor scowled. He simply waited. Then, when
I had said, "I must have a talk with you," and had pointed to a chair
at my table,