He came close to her and tried to take her hand.

"What?"

She answered by another question.

"How old are you?"

"Forty-two, if you must know."

"Oh! And you are going to fall in love with a girl of nineteen."

"Who is that?"

"Myself!" she said, giving him her hand and smiling at him with her rich
red lips.

The mizen hid them from the man at the wheel, and the twilight of
tropical stars held the main-deck. Blunt felt the breath of this strange
woman warm on his cheek, her eyes seemed to wax and wane, and the hard,
small hand he held burnt like fire.

"I believe you are right," he cried. "I am half in love with you
already."

She gazed at him with a contemptuous sinking of her heavily fringed
eyelids, and withdrew her hand.

"Then don't get to the other half, or you'll regret it."

"Shall I?" asked Blunt. "That's my affair. Come, you little vixen, give
me that kiss you said I was going to ask you for below," and he caught
her in his arms.

In an instant she had twisted herself free, and confronted him with
flashing eyes.

"You dare!" she cried. "Kiss me by force! Pooh! you make love like a
schoolboy. If you can make me like you, I'll kiss you as often as you
will. If you can't, keep your distance, please."

Blunt did not know whether to laugh or be angry at this rebuff. He was
conscious that he was in rather a ridiculous position, and so decided to
laugh.

"You're a spitfire, too. What must I do to make you like me?"

She made him a curtsy.

"That is your affair," she said; and as the head of Mr. Frere appeared
above the companion, Blunt walked aft, feeling considerably bewildered,
and yet not displeased.

"She's a fine girl, by jingo," he said, cocking his cap, "and I'm hanged
if she ain't sweet upon me."

And then the old fellow began to whistle softly to himself as he paced
the deck, and to glance towards the man who had taken his place with no
friendly eyes. But a sort of shame held him as yet, and he kept aloof.

Maurice Frere's greeting was short enough.

"Well, Sarah," he said, "have you got out of your temper?"

She frowned.

"What did you strike the man for? He did you no harm."

"He was out of his place. What business had he to come aft? One must
keep these wretches down, my girl."

"Or they will be too much for you, eh? Do you think one man could
capture a ship, Mr. Maurice?"

"No, but one hundred might."

"Nonsense! What could they do against the soldiers? There are f