kward position. Though he did not want him, he had known Maas for so
many years, and they had always been on such a footing of intimacy
together, that he felt he could do nothing but consent. He accordingly
did so, though with scarcely the same amount of grace, that usually
characterized his hospitality. Jimmy Foote, however, expressed himself
more freely.

"Look here, Jack, old man," said the latter to Browne, when he was
informed what had taken place, "you know as well as I do that Maas and
I were never the greatest of friends. I tell you this because I don't
want you to think I am saying, behind his back, what I would not say to
his face. At the same time, I _do_ think that you ought to have told
him straight out that he couldn't come."

"How on earth could I do that?" asked Browne. "Besides being
exceedingly rude, it would have given the whole show away. What
possible sort of excuse could I have made for not wanting him on board?"

"I don't know what sort of excuse you could have made," replied Jimmy;
"all I know is that you ought to have made it. You have other people
besides yourself to consider in the matter."

The deed was done, however, and could not be undone. For this reason,
when the yacht said good-bye to the lovely harbour of Yokohama, and
Treaty Point was astern, Maas stood upon the deck watching it fade away
and drop below the sea-line.

"And now that we are on our way again, my dear Browne," said Maas when
the others had gone below, "what is our destination?"

"Of our ultimate destination I am not yet quite certain," answered
Browne, who was anxious to gain time to think before he committed
himself. "But at first we are going north to have a look at the Sea of
Okhotsk. My _fiancee's_ father has been residing on an island there
for many years, and it is our intention to pick him up and to bring him
home, in order that he may be present at our wedding."

"In other words," put in Maas, "you are conniving at the escape of a
Russian convict from Saghalien. Is that so?"

Browne uttered a cry that was partly one of astonishment, and partly
one of terror. He could scarcely believe he had heard aright. This
was the second time, since they had been on board the yacht, that Maas
had played him this sort of trick, and he did not want to be taken in
again. Was the other really aware of what they were going to do, or
was this, as on the previous occasion, a shot fired at random?

"My dear fel