elf, so that you may have the chance to defend yourself in English,
which he doesn't speak."

"_E vero_. It ees the truth," confirmed the captain of the _Re
d'Italia_--the one remark, by the way, that he ever addressed to me.

"Well?" It was the Englishman's cold voice. "We are waiting, Mr. Bayne!
What was this object you were so anxious to dispose of? A message from
some confederate, too compromising to keep?"

Heretofore I had carefully avoided looking at Miss Falconer, but at this
point, turning my head a trifle, I gave her a casual glance. Her eyes
had blackened as they had done that night on the deck; her face had
paled, and her breath was coming fast. But as I looked, her gaze fell,
and her lashes wavered; and I knew that whatever came she did not mean
to speak.

CHAPTER VII

THE TIGHTENING WEB

I did not, of course, want her to. I was no "Injun giver," and having
once pledged my word to help her, I was prepared to keep it till all was
blue or any other final shade. Still, it was not to be denied that
my position looked incriminating. She might be as honest as the
daylight,--I believed she was; I had to or else abandon her,--but she
had managed to plunge me into a confounded mess.

Naturally I was exasperated at the net results of my piece of gallantry.
I didn't care to be suspected; I wasn't anxious to have to lie. All
the same, a plausible explanation, offered without delay, appeared
essential. I should have wanted as much myself had I been guarding
Gibraltar port.

"Well, Mr. Bayne?"

"Well!" I retorted coolly. "I was just wondering if I should answer.
This is an infernal outrage, you know. You don't really think I'm a spy.
What you are doing is to give me a third degree on general principles.
If you'll excuse my saying so I think you ought to have more sense!"

"Oh, of course we ought to take you on trust," he agreed sardonically.
"But we can't I'm afraid. The fact is, we have had an experience or two
to shake our faith. The last time this steamer stopped here we caught a
pair of spies who didn't look the part any more than you do; and since
then we have rather stopped taking appearances as guarantees."

"All right, then," I responded. "I'll stretch a point since it is
war-time. I give you my word that I threw overboard a small bronze
paper-weight that was cluttering up my traps. There was nothing
surreptitious about it; the whole steamer might have seen me. Do you
care to take the responsibi