s wary, and walked all
round. And Jules Epitaux, my captain, he make fool of the old man."

"I hope so," said Nugent drily. "But if it is a sample of your
discretion that we have been having in this room to-night, my opinion of
it is not high, Pierre Legros. You must learn to curb that insane
jealousy of yours, or you will have Louise on to you like a wild cat.
Your conduct was base ingratitude, seeing that I stopped her from
setting the police at you."

"I am sorry, monsieur; I was taken by surprise, and I did not
understand," replied the onion-seller submissively, as he passed out of
the window which Nugent held significantly open.

But once outside in the darkness, setting out on the four-mile trudge
back to his ship, he began to mutter to himself, and the refrain of the
inaudible babble was always the same, recurring a hundred times as he
stumbled along the moorland track--

"Louise goes to console herself, but not with Pierre. Poor Pierre! He
will have to strike--always strike--if he is betrayed."

CHAPTER XII

THE _COBRA'S_ SAILING ORDERS

Nine o'clock in the morning was a busy time in a mild way at the
Ottermouth Railway Station. The budding resort was served by only a
branch line with a single set of rails, and at this hour the first two
trains of the day in each direction passed each other here.

Mr. Travers Nugent stood at the window of the booking office, waiting
till the slide should be raised, and biting his long fair moustache in
annoyance because out of the tail of his eye he had just discovered that
the next intending passenger in the row behind him was Lieutenant
Reginald Beauchamp. He had quite a poor opinion of the lieutenant's
intelligence, but he was aware of his close acquaintance with the
Mallorys, and there were reasons why he would have preferred to conceal
his destination that day from the shrewd old civil servant.

However, the wooden slide was raised, and Nugent could not avoid asking
for his ticket--a first-class return to Weymouth. It was not till he had
picked up his change and passed on that he affected to notice his
successor at the window.

"Ah, Beauchamp! Going my way I hope?" he said genially. "I am compelled
to go to Weymouth for the day, to look up a sick relative. Beastly
nuisance having to play the good Samaritan in such hot weather."

Reggie, before replying, planked down his money and asked for a return
ticket to Plymouth. "No," he replied as he joined Nugen