"I beg your pardon," I said; "it was merely curiosity. I thought I had
seen the face somewhere."

"He was my husband."

"He is dead, then?"

"Oh, why do you ask? Yes; he died abroad." She touched her widow's cap
with a shaking finger, and then covered her face with her hands.
"I was there--I saw it. Why do you ask?" she repeated.

"I beg your pardon sincerely," I said; "it was only that the portrait
reminded me of somebody--But my business here is quite different.
I am come about the yacht _Siren_ which you have advertised for sale."

She seemed more than ever inclined to run. Her voice scarcely rose
above a whisper.

"My agents at F-- have full instructions about the sale."

"Yes, but they tell me you have the papers. I may say that I have seen
the yacht and gear and am ready to pay the price you ask for immediate
possession. I said as much to Mr. Dewy. But the papers, of course--"

"Are they necessary?"

"Certainly they are. At least the certificate of registry or, failing
that, some reference to the port of registry, if the transfer is to be
made. I should also like to see her warrant if she has one, and her
sailmaker's certificate. Messrs. Dewy and Moss could draw up the
inventory."

She still hesitated. At length she said, "I have the certificate; I
will fetch it. The other papers, if she had any, have been lost or
destroyed. She never had a warrant. I believe my husband belonged to
no Yacht Club. I understand very little of these matters."

She left the room, and returned in five minutes or so with the open
document in her hand.

"But," said I, looking over it, "this is a certificate of a vessel
called the _Wasp_."

"Ah, I must explain that. I wished the boat to change her name with the
new owner. Her old name--it has associations--painful ones--I should
not like anyone else to know her as the _Wasp_."

"Well," I admitted, "I can understand that. But, see here, she is
entered as having one mast and carrying a cutter rig."

"She was a cutter originally. My husband had her lengthened, in 1886, I
think by five feet, and turned her into a yawl. It was abroad, at
Malaga--"

"A curious port to choose."

"She was built, you see, as long ago as 1875. My husband used to say
she was a broad boat for those days, and could be lengthened
successfully and turned into quite a new-looking vessel. He gave her an
entirely new sheathing, too, and all her spars are new. She was not
i