hla, whist!" interrupted the seaman, leading the girls slowly
aside; "ye mustn't spake out so plain afore that rascal Ally Babby, for
though he's a good enough soul whin asleep, I do belave he's as big a
thafe and liar as any wan of his antecessors or descendants from Adam to
Moses back'ard an' for'ard. What, now, an' I'll tell 'ee. I _have_
heerd about 'em. There's bin no end a' sbirros--them's the pleecemen,
you know miss--scourin' the country after them; but don't look so
scared-like, cushla, for they ain't found 'em yet, an' that feller
Bacri, who, in my opinion, is the honestest man among the whole bilin'
of 'em, he's bin an' found out w'ere they're hidin', an--" here the
seaman's voice descended to a hoarse whisper, while his eyes and
wrinkled forehead spoke volumes--"an' he's put me in commission to go an
help 'em!"

"Dear man!" exclaimed Angela.

"Which,--Bacri or me?" asked Flaggan.

"Bacri, o' course," returned Angela, with a little laugh.

Flaggan nodded significantly.

"Yes, he _is_ a dear man w'en you go to his shop; but he's as chape as
the most lib'ral Christian w'en he's wanted to go an' do a good turn to
any one."

"And yoo sure," asked the girl, with rekindled earnestness in her large
black eyes, "dat _all_ Rimini safe--Francisco an' Mar--"

"Ah, all safe,--Mariano inclusive," said the sailor, with an intelligent
nod. "I sees how the land lies. Depend on it that young feller ain't
likely to part with his skin without a pretty stiffish spurt for it."

Although much of Flaggan's language was incomprehensible to the pretty
Sicilian, it was sufficiently clear to her sharp intelligence to enable
her to follow the drift of his meaning; she blushed, as she turned away
her head with a queen-like grace peculiarly Italian, and said--

"When yoo go hoff--to seek?"

"This werry minit," answered the sailor. "In fact I was just castin'
about in my mind w'en you came up how I could best throw Ally Babby off
the scent as to w'ere I was goin'."

"Me manages dat for yoo," said Angela, with a bright significant smile,
as she turned and called to the interpreter.

Ali, who was rather fond of female society, at once advanced with a bow
of gracious orientality.

"Com here, Ali; yoo most 'xplain de flowers me bring hom yiserday."

The polite Moor at once followed the pretty Italian, leaving Ted Flaggan
with her sister.

"You'll excuse me, ma'am, if I bids you raither an abrup' good marnin'.
It's busi