ontractin' business,' sez I; 'got a big thing up in
Sacramento that'll make his fortun',' sez I--for I wasn't goin' to give
yer away, don't ye see. 'He had some business to talk to you about the
ship,' sez she, lookin' at me under the corner of her pocket
handkerchief. 'Lots o' business,' sez I. 'Then I reckon he don't care
to hev me write to him,' sez she. 'Not a bit,' sez I, 'he wouldn't
answer ye if ye did. Ye'll never hear from that chap agin.'"

"But what the devil--" interrupted the young man impetuously.

"Keep yer hair on!" remonstrated the old man with dark intelligence.
"Ef you'd seen the way she flounced into her stateroom!--she, Rosey, ez
allus moves ez softly ez a spirit--you'd hev wished I'd hev unloaded a
little more. No sir, gals is gals in some things all the time."

Renshaw rose and paced the room rapidly. "Perhaps I'd better speak to
her again before she goes," he said, impulsively.

"P'r'aps you'd better not," replied the imperturbable Nott.

Irritated as he was, Renshaw could not avoid the reflection that the
old man was right. What, indeed, could he say to her with his present
imperfect knowledge? How could she write to him if that knowledge was
correct?

"Ef," said Nott, kindly, with a laying on of large benedictory and
paternal hands, "ef yer are willin' to see Rosey agin, without SPEAKIN'
to her, I reckon I ken fix it for yer. I'm goin' to take her down to
the boat in half an hour. Ef yer should happen--mind, ef yer should
HAPPEN to be down there, seein' some friends off and sorter promenadin'
up and down the wharf like them high-toned chaps on Montgomery
Street--ye might ketch her eye unconscious like. Or, ye might do
this!" He rose after a moment's cogitation and with a face of profound
mystery opened the door and beckoned Renshaw to follow him. Leading
the way cautiously, he brought the young man into an open unpartitioned
recess beside her stateroom. It seemed to be used as a storeroom, and
Renshaw's eye was caught by a trunk the size and shape of the one that
had provided Rosey with the materials of her masquerade. Pointing to
it Mr. Nott said in a grave whisper: "This yer trunk is the companion
trunk to Rosey's. SHE'S got the things them opery women wears; this yer
contains the HE things, the duds and fixin's o' the men o' the same
stripe." Throwing it open he continued: "Now, Mr. Renshaw, gals is
gals; it's nat'ral they should be took by fancy dress and store clothes