except most deferentially, and suddenly I felt that I was
nearing something awful. I can't explain it. It just came to me all of a
sudden, you know, with desperate certainty, and--and I wanted to run
away."

"Were you trying to tell me that?"

She flushed, but answered steadily:

"Yes. I thought you looked like a man who'd help a girl out of a mean
place."

"By Jove, that's the biggest compliment I've ever had!"

"I only had a chance to write a little," she ignored my outburst, "but
hoped you'd guess and tell your friend, the police agent."

"I didn't guess that," I admitted, somewhat crestfallen. "But we knew
you were in danger."

"I should never have left that cafe if I'd known more myself, then," she
said, tensely. "I'd have stood up and called to you--to every man
there!"

"And I'd have brought you out in spite of hell," I cried. "Don't tell me
there was anything much worse!"

Her cheeks were still aflame with anger, but she smiled, saying in a
lower tone:

"Nothing worse than threats. When we got aboard the yacht my father came
to me and said, point-blank before those men, that--that--oh, I can't!"
She buried her face in her hands--and it was all I could do to keep from
putting my arms about her and whispering that everything was now all
right. But she had started out to tell me, and was determined to see it
through. "He said that he'd promised our captain, that creature Jess,
that I should--should----"

"Never mind," I murmured. "I know about it--he said you'd have to marry
the scoundrel."

"Oh," she exclaimed. "I'd never heard anything so cold-blooded and
damnable in all my life! The creature stood leering at me over his
shoulder, and I knew he'd been using threats because my father,
himself, was almost paralyzed with fear. And then I lost my head--in
blind rage, I suppose. I must have talked like a common fish woman, but
my one desire was to see them cringe. So I told about leaving the
message for you, pretending to 've written a great deal more--twisting
the knife all I knew how, and being thoroughly catty. It must have been
a disgusting exhibition," she gave a sigh of despair, as if for that
uncontrollable outburst of temper.

"I hope you rubbed it in good," I growled.

"Well, I didn't, because my father became so insane with fear that he
actually struck me, and rushed ashore in the frantic hope that you might
not have seen my message. He would have killed you had he met you then.
It was i