ried that a
good many years, too." He spoke as if to himself. He looked at the face.
"No, it's too late, Mr. Meade. It's too late to begin now."

"It's never too late. Just think, in your short life you have lived more
volumes than I have written. You know more, ten times more, about real
life than I do, and I'm sixty. I wonder"--he fanned the smoke from
him--"would you mind dying after all you've been through?"

Cadogan was still standing. He set his left foot on the seat of his
chair, his left elbow on his knee, and his chin in the heel of his left
hand. By extending two long, supple left fingers he could hold his
cigar while he blew rings of smoke toward the air-port. He blew them
now--once, twice, three times. "I don't know any healthy men who are
eager to die, do you?" he said, half smiling, presently.

"Meaning you don't want to go yourself?"

"Just that. And yet, if I had to go, any time now, I don't see where I
could have any kick coming. Somewhere, sometime, it had to come. And yet
I was wondering, only to-night, queerly enough--" Between the first two
fingers and thumb of his right hand he was somersaulting the gun-metal
cigar-case against the table-top. _Tap_--_tap_--_tap_--one end, then the
other--_tap_--_tap_--_tap_--it went.

While Cadogan paused Meade was making mental notes of him. How wide and
powerful the shoulders loomed, how trim the waist, the grace of the long
white fingers, the smooth curves of the strong face, all brown below the
eyes and all white above! "What a fight you could put up!" thought
Meade. "And what a pity if anything should happen to you before you
should have had your chance!"

Cadogan ceased somersaulting the cigar-case. "Wouldn't it be queer, now,
I was thinking--here I've drawn lots with Death a hundred times--a few
more or less--and then to think of him coming along and grabbing a
fellow off the deck of an ocean liner!"

"That _would_ be a joke," commented Meade.

"Wouldn't it?" Cadogan carefully knocked his cigar-ashes onto the tray.
His eyes and Crupp's met.

With his eyes now focussed on the ash-tray, Cadogan continued: "If I
have left anybody worrying, or guessing, I can tell him where there is a
collapsible life-boat which will be safe in smooth water."

"There are women still aboard," said Crupp.

"Eh, what's that?" Meade sat straight up.

"Yes"--Cadogan's response was directed to Crupp--"there are many women
aboard. But when that life-boat is launched, ther