ats and a tale of a lost vessel. No
hint of scandal was raised against the affair. The insurance companies
stood the gaff, the business was closed up without a hitch, and the name
of the 'Speedwell' passed simultaneously from the 'Maritime Register'
and from the books of her owners in America.

"Wilbur went immediately to Batavia, and there hired a schooner and crew
with the proceeds of his personal holdings in the vessel. He sailed for
Ombay Pass; after a period of magnificent sailorizing and superhuman
effort he floated the ship and patched her so that she would stay
afloat. When he appeared off Batavia roadstead with the 'Speedwell'
under topgallant-sails, it was the sensation of the port; and when it
transpired what he intended to do with her, the news flew like wildfire
about the China Sea. For he proposed to hold the ship as salvage; and
nothing, apparently, could be done about it. He found men willing to
advance him credit, bought off his Lascar crew, took the 'Speedwell' to
Hong Kong and put her in dry dock, and soon was ready for business with
a fine ship of his own.

"I was off on a trading voyage while these events were taking place. I
heard them first from Lee Fu Chang.

"'An extraordinary incident!' exclaimed Lee Fu in conclusion. 'I am
deeply interested. It is a crowning stroke that he has not seen fit to
change the name of the vessel. All is as it was before, when the
well-known and reputable Captain Wilbur commanded his fine ship, the
"Speedwell," on voyages to the East.'

"'Does the crowd have anything to do with him?' I asked.

"'None of his old associates speak in passing. He goes about like a man
afflicted with a pestilence. Apparently, he is not disturbed by this
treatment. He makes no protest, offers no excuse, takes no notice; in
the face of outrageous insult he maintains an air of dignity and
reserve, like a man conscious of inner rectitude.'

"'Did you talk with him, Lee Fu?'

"'Oh, yes. In fact, I cultivated his acquaintance. It relieved, as it
were, the daily monotony of virtue. Do not think that he is a simple
man. His heart in this matter is unfathomable, and well worth sounding.'

"'By Jove, I believe you liked him!'

"'No, not that.' Lee Fu folded his hands within the long sleeves of his
embroidered coat and laid them across his stomach in a characteristic
attitude of meditation. 'No, quite the opposite. I abhorred him. He
feels no remorse; he goes his way in peace from the betra