hen severely.] Only you had no right
to be getting fresh with me. Listen, now, and don't go getting any more
wrong notions. I'm on this barge because I'm making a trip with my
father. The captain's my father. Now you know.

BURKE--The old square--the old Swede, I mean?

ANNA--Yes.

BURKE--[Rising--peering at her face.] Sure I might have known it, if I
wasn't a bloody fool from birth. Where else'd you get that fine yellow
hair is like a golden crown on your head.

ANNA--[With an amused laugh.] Say, nothing stops you, does it? [Then
attempting a severe tone again.] But don't you think you ought to be
apologizing for what you said and done yust a minute ago, instead of
trying to kid me with that mush?

BURKE--[Indignantly.] Mush! [Then bending forward toward her with very
intense earnestness.] Indade and I will ask your pardon a thousand
times--and on my knees, if ye like. I didn't mean a word of what I said
or did. [Resentful again for a second.] But divil a woman in all the
ports of the world has iver made a great fool of me that way before!

ANNA--[With amused sarcasm.] I see. You mean you're a lady-killer and
they all fall for you.

BURKE--[Offended. Passionately.] Leave off your fooling! 'Tis that is
after getting my back up at you. [Earnestly.] 'Tis no lie I'm telling
you about the women. [Ruefully.] Though it's a great jackass I am to be
mistaking you, even in anger, for the like of them cows on the
waterfront is the only women I've met up with since I was growed to a
man. [As ANNA shrinks away from him at this, he hurries on pleadingly.]
I'm a hard, rough man and I'm not fit, I'm thinking, to be kissing the
shoe-soles of a fine, dacent girl the like of yourself. 'Tis only the
ignorance of your kind made me see you wrong. So you'll forgive me, for
the love of God, and let us be friends from this out. [Passionately.]
I'm thinking I'd rather be friends with you than have my wish for
anything else in the world. [He holds out his hand to her shyly.]

ANNA--[Looking queerly at him, perplexed and worried, but moved and
pleased in spite of herself--takes his hand uncertainly.] Sure.

BURKE--[With boyish delight.] God bless you! [In his excitement he
squeezes her hand tight.]

ANNA--Ouch!

BURKE--[Hastily dropping her hand--ruefully.] Your pardon, Miss. 'Tis a
clumsy ape I am. [Then simply--glancing down his arm proudly.] It's
great power I have in my hand and arm, and I do be forgetting it at
times.

ANNA--