d myself.

The girl shrank from him with aversion in her eyes.

"I need no assistance," she replied. "And I thought we had spoken the
last word on the ship, Mr. Mackenzie."

"I was no party to that agreement, you will remember," the man answered,
looking at her with fierce admiration. "I have been searching for you,
and when I caught sight of you but a moment ago, I judged that these
gentlemen were paying you unwelcome attentions. Certainly they were on
the point of an altercation."

I looked to Captain Rudstone to take the matter up, but to my amazement
he bowed and walked away, whispering at my ear as he passed me:

"Be prudent. I will join you at the Silver Lily."

To put his desertion down to cowardice was the only construction open.

I held my ground, wondering what strange thing would happen next. The
dark man eyed me insolently for a moment, evidently expecting and hoping
that I would follow my companion. Then he bent closer to Miss Hatherton.

"Why will you persist in this folly?" he asked. "You are alone in a
strange land--in a strange town. I urge you to accept the shelter of my
sister's house. It is but a short distance from here."

"And I refuse!" the girl cried indignantly. "I wish no further speech
with you, Mr. Mackenzie. I am not friendless, as you think. I am going
with this gentleman."

"It's a devilish bad choice!" the man exclaimed angrily.

"What do you mean by that?" I cried, ruffling up.

"Miss Hatherton, I beg you to listen to me," he went on, ignoring my
demand. "It is for your own good--"

"Not another word, sir," she interrupted, edging nervously toward me as
she spoke.

"You shall hear me!" he insisted; and with that he caught her brutally
by one arm.

The girl struggled in his grasp and gazed at me with such mute and
earnest pleading, with such fear and distress in her lovely eyes, that I
must have been more than human to resist taking her part. I was in a hot
rage, as it was, and I did not hesitate an instant. I shot out with my
right arm--a straight, hard blow from the shoulder that took the ruffian
between the eyes. He reeled and fell like a log.

The deed was no sooner done than I regretted--for Miss Hatherton's
sake--that I had gone to such extremities. But I made the best of it by
quickly leading the girl away, and she clung tightly to my arm as we
hurried through the curious group of people on the quay. To my relief,
no one stopped us, and indeed the incident had at