sponsibility. His
chief officer was on board. _Sacre!_ His chief officer had _joli gout_.
And he, Plouff, had his eyes about him. And his wits. There was
something behind this. So, not a word!

And the two passengers, whom he had transported so neatly and without
arousing either the watchman or the suspicious picket-boats, went into
the cabin and, after closing the door, Mr. Spokesly lit the swinging
lamp. Evanthia looked about her.

"A ship," she said absently, revolving the novel idea in her mind.

"You must go to bed," said he gravely. "And you must stay down in there
until I tell you it is all clear. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"I'll show you," he said, and he carefully piloted her down the
companion. She leaned forward daintily to peer as he lit her lamp.

"It's the best I could do," he whispered.

"Beautiful. Tck!" she saw her clothes in the drawer he opened and patted
his arm. She regarded him curiously, as though seeing him in a fresh
light. "You are very good to me."

"Easy to be that," he muttered, holding her and breathing heavily.
"Good-night!"

He closed the door and strode away to the companion, and he was about to
mount when a thought struck him. She must keep her door locked, in case
somebody came down. He walked back.

And as he put out his hand to open the door again to tell her this, he
heard the key grind in the lock.

He paused, and then went away up, and very thoughtful, turned in.

CHAPTER XIII

From his conspicuous post on the forecastle Mr. Spokesly watched the
elderly lieutenant--his old friend whom he had met at Floka's--descend
the ladder into his launch. The ship was already moving, the anchor was
awash, and the elderly lieutenant wavered somewhat as he put out his
hands to grasp the rail running along the cabin of his launch. It was
evening, and he was, Mr. Spokesly could see, adequately full. Indeed, he
had been reinforced by more than one whiskey and soda before he had
arrived with the captain's sailing orders. And Captain Rannie, who was
watching him as though hoping he might by some fortunate turn of fate
slip into the water and vanish for ever, had placed a bottle of whiskey
and a syphon at his elbow in the cabin and permitted him to help
himself. The old fellow had been very full of a triumph he had achieved
over the authorities. He had been transferred to the Transport Office,
where it was evident they needed an experienced ship's officer to kee