ld let father die. I told him it was
sheer murder! He laughed. He said he would save him--for a price."

She stopped, and Rainey supplied the gap, sure that he was right.

"If you would marry him?"

The girl nodded. "Father will do anything he tells him. I sometimes
think he tortures father and only relieves him when father promises what
he wants. Otherwise I could not understand. Last night father asked me
to do this thing. Not because of any threat--he did not seem conscious
of anything underhanded. He told me he looked upon the doctor as a son,
that it would make him happy for me to marry him--now. That he would
perform the ceremony. That he did not think he would live long and he
wanted to see me with a protector.

"It was horrible. I dare not hint anything against the doctor. It brings
on a nervous attack. Last night my refusal caused convulsions, and
then--the collapse! What can I do? If I made the sacrifice how can I
tell that Doctor Carlsen could--_would_ save him? What shall I do?"

She was in an agony of self-questioning, of doubt.

"To see him lie there--like that. I can not bear it."

"Miss Simms," said Rainey, "your father is not in his right mind or he
would see Carlsen as you do, as I do. Carlsen's brain is turned with the
lure of the gold. If he marries you, I believe it is only for your
share, for what you will get from your father. It can not be right to do
a wrong thing. No good could come from it. But--something may happen
this morning--I can not tell you what. I do not know, except that Lund
is to face Carlsen. It may change matters."

"Lund," she said scornfully. "What can he do? And he accused my father
of deserting him. I--"

A knock came at the door, and it started to open. Carlsen entered.

"Ah," he said. "I trust I have not disturbed you. I had no idea I should
interrupt a tete-a-tete. Are you satisfied as to the captain's
condition, Mr. Rainey?"

Rainey looked the scoffing devil full in his eyes, and hot scorn mounted
to his own so swiftly that Carlsen's hand fell away from the door jamb
toward his hip. Then he laughed softly.

"We may be able to bring him round, all right again, who knows?" he
said.

Rainey went on deck, raging but impotent. He told Lund briefly of the
talk between him and Peggy Simms, and described the general symptoms of
the skipper's strange malady. It was nine o'clock, an hour to the
meeting. He went down to his own room and sat on the bunk, smoking,
tryi