ess she had shown him yesternight aboard the galley, but
he had deemed that tenderness to be no more than such as the situation
itself begot. Almost he had deemed the same to be here the case until he
had witnessed her fierceness and despair in fighting for his life, until
he had heard and gauged the sincerity of her avowal that she loved him
and desired to make some amends to him for all that he had suffered in
the past. That had spurred him, and had a further spur been needed, it
was afforded him when they branded her words with falsehood, mocked her
to her face with what they supposed to be her lies. Anger had taken him
at that to stiffen his resolve to make a stand against them and use the
one weapon that remained him--that a merciful chance, a just God had
placed within his power almost despite himself.

"I little knew, sirs," he said, "that Sir John was guided by the hand
of destiny itself when last night, in violation of the terms of my
surrender, he took a prisoner from my galeasse. That man is, as I have
said, a sometime English seaman, named Jasper Leigh. He fell into my
hands some months ago, and took the same road to escape from thraldom
that I took myself under the like circumstances. I was merciful in that
I permitted him to do so, for he is the very skipper who was suborned by
Lionel to kidnap me and carry me into Barbary. With me he fell into the
hands of the Spaniards. Have him brought hither, and question him."

In silence they all looked at him, but on more than one face he saw the
reflection of amazement at his impudence, as they conceived it.

It was Lord Henry who spoke at last. "Surely, sir, this is most oddly,
most suspiciously apt," he said, and there could be no doubt that he was
faintly sneering. "The very man to be here aboard, and taken prisoner
thus, almost by chance...."

"Not quite by chance, though very nearly. He conceives that he has
a grudge against Lionel, for it was through Lionel that misfortune
overtook him. Last night when Lionel so rashly leapt aboard the galley,
Jasper Leigh saw his opportunity to settle an old score and took it. It
was as a consequence of that that he was arrested."

"Even so, the chance is still miraculous."

"Miracles, my lord, must happen sometimes if the truth is to prevail,"
Sir Oliver replied with a tinge of his earlier mockery. "Fetch him
hither, and question him. He knows naught of what has passed here. It
were a madness to suppose him primed for