nated, as little girls are; and just as I was about to leave the
room I ran into old Conboy hurrying in, his reddish hair standing on
end.

"Well, Deolda," said he, "Captain Hammar's gone down the Cape all of a
sudden. He told me to tell you good-by for him. Deolda, for God's sake,
marry me before he comes back! He'll kill you, that's what he'll do.
It's not for my sake I'm asking you--it's for your sake!"

She looked at him with her big black eyes. "I believe you mean that,
Conboy. I believe I'll do it. But I'll be fair and square with you as
you are with me. You'd better let me be; you know what I'm like. I won't
make you happy; I never pretended I would. And as for him killing me,
how do you know, Conboy, I mightn't lose my temper first?"

"He'll break you," said Conboy. "God! but he's a man without pity! Don't
you know how he drives his men? Don't you know the stories about his
first wife? He's put some of his magic on you. You're nothing but a poor
little lamb, Deolda, playing with a wolf, for all your spirit. There's
nothing he'd stop at. Nothing," he repeated, staring at Johnny. "I
wouldn't give a cent for that Johnny Deutra's life until I'm married to
you, Deolda. I've seen the way Mark Hammar looks at him--you have, too.
I tell you, Mark Hammar don't value the life of any man who stands in
his way!" And the way the old man spoke lifted the hair on my head.

Then all of us were quiet, for there stood Captain Hammar himself.

"Why, Mark, I thought you'd gone down the Cape!" said Conboy.

"I lost the train," he answered.

"Well, what about that vessel you was going to buy in Gloucester?"

"I got to sail over," said Captain Hammar.

Conboy glanced out of the window. The bay was ringed around with heavy
clouds; weather was making. Storm signals were flying up on Town Hill,
and down the harbor a fleet of scared vessels were making for port.

"You can't go out in that, Mark," says Conboy.

"I've got the money," says Mark Hammar, "and I'm going to go. If I don't
get down there that crazy Portygee'll have sold that vessel to some one
else. It ain't every day you can buy a vessel like that for the price.
He let me know about it first, but he won't wait long, and he's got to
have the cash in his hands. He's up to some crooked work or he wouldn't
'a' sent the boy down with the letter; he'd 'a' sent it by post, or
telegraphed even. He's let me know about it first, but he won't wait. It
was getting the money strap