lt
obliged to visit you on your ship. I have always wanted to see your
floating home. Everything about you interests me."

She appeared an entirely different woman. Ulysses noted the great
change that had taken place in her person during the last days. Her
eyes were bold, challenging, of a calm seductiveness. She appeared to
be surrendering herself entirely. Her smiles, her words, her manner of
crossing the deck toward the staterooms of the vessel proclaimed her
determination to end her long resistance as quickly as possible,
yielding to the sailor's desires.

In spite of former failures, he felt anew the joy of triumph. "Now it
is going to be! My absence has conquered her...." And at the same time
that he was foretasting the sweet satisfaction of love and triumphant
pride, there arose in him a vague instinct of suspicion of this woman
so suddenly transformed, perhaps loving her less than in former days
when she resisted and advised him to be gone.

In the forward cabin he presented her to his mate. The crude Toni
experienced the same hallucination that had perturbed all the others on
the boat. What a woman!... At the very first glance he understood and
excused the captain's conduct. Then he fixed his eyes upon her with an
expression of alarm, as though her presence made him tremble for the
fate of the steamer: but finally he succumbed, dominated by this lady
who was examining the saloon as though she had come to remain in it
forever.

For a few moments Freya was interested in the hairy ugliness of Toni.
He was a true Mediterranean, just the kind she had imagined to
herself,--a faun pursuing nymphs. Ulysses laughed at the eulogies which
she passed on his mate.

"In his shoes," she continued, "he ought to have pretty little hoofs
like a goat's. He must know how to play the flute. Don't you think so,
Captain?..."

The faun, wrinkled and wrathful, took himself off, saluting her
stolidly as he went away. Ferragut felt greatly relieved at his
absence, since he was fearful of some rude speech from Toni.

Finding herself alone with Ulysses, she ran through the great room from
one side to the other.

"Is here where you live, my dear shark?... Let me see everything. Let
me poke around everywhere. Everything of yours interests me. You will
not say now that I do not love you. What a boast for Captain Ferragut!
The ladies come to seek him on his ship...."

She interrupted her ironic and affectionate chatter in order to