owling glances at her father, who, on that previous occasion, had so
notably rebuffed him. It became quite plain, ere long, that the man
had worked up a great wrath against the flute-player.

"I am Pietro Moresco," he boasted, many times, as if the very name
should awe the world. Then, impressively: "I am no common emigrant.
Not a common emigrant, as all may learn, in time. In New York none are
too proud to dance with me. It is not a land for the aristocrat--the
aristocrat who travels steerage!"

He gazed at the old man fixedly, with that malevolent look of which
none but an Italian really is capable. Vanderlyn saw, also, with
amazement, that there were those among his countrymen--men evidently
knowing him--who were as much impressed by what he said as, evidently,
he believed the whole world ought to be. It almost seemed, indeed,
that these folk took his boastings seriously and thought the old man
and his daughter really had cause to fear the man's reprisals.

The old man paid no heed to him, however. He only drew his daughter
closer to his side. John noted that her cheeks were hotly flushed with
anger, combined, perhaps, with fear, and felt the blood of wrath
flood to his own and out again, leaving them, he knew, quite ghastly
pale. He always flushed, then paled, when he was very angry, and when
that pallor clung, as it did now, dire things inevitably impended. He
was astonished at the strength of cold resentment in his heart toward
the Italian. He did not for an instant hesitate in deciding to protect
the little girl from her tormentor, if need arose, at any hazard. It
did not once occur to him that this was not his work, that the ship's
officers would doubtless maintain order and, themselves, protect her
as a matter of mere discipline on board. Indeed, it seemed to him that
for some reason the Italian received more than ordinary courtesy from
them. As the episode developed, they appeared to edge away, leaving
the swarthy bully wholly undisturbed.

He did not fail to take advantage of this situation, but, after
glancing somewhat cautiously around, followed his declaration of his
own importance and resentment with an angry dive, and, an instant
later, had the girl by the right arm, while his countrymen called
loudly in approval. Another instant and the man was dragging Anna to
the center of the open space where dancing had been going on.

She screamed, her father rose, amazed, resentful, lurching with fierce
but f