Part 17 (1/2)

'All right, I'll do ot to do is to be yourself and tell one lie, if need be, about the trick Doll, Davies, and I, sitting over coffee and ku the harbour and the sea, Davies with a full box of ave us a hearty welcome, and I am bound to say I liked him at once, as Davies had done; but I feared him, too, for he had honest eyes, but abominably clever ones

I had impressed on Davies to talk and question as freely and naturally as though nothing unco on the deck of the 'Medusa' He must ask about Dollmann--the mutual friend--at the outset, and, if questioned about that voyage in his coer he had been in This was the one clear and essential necessity, where much was difficult Davies did his duty with precipitation, and blushed when he put his question, in a way that horrified me, till I remembered that his embarrassment was due, and would be ascribed, to another cause

'Herr Doll (So Davies had been right at Brunsbuttel) 'Were you thinking of looking hiain?' he added

'Yes,' said Davies, shortly

'Well, I'm sure he's away But his yacht is back, I believe--and Fraulein Dollmann, I suppose'

'H'm!' said Davies; 'she's a very fine boat that'

Our host shtfully at Davies, as miserable I saw a chance, and took it mercilessly

'We can call on Fraulein Doll s

'H'm!, said Davies; 'will he be back soon, do you think?'

The coar, and took his ti, 'he's never away very long But you've seen theether the day after I saw you last?'

'Oh, part of the way,' said Davies, with great negligence 'I haven't seen hiot there first; outsailed me'

'Gave you the slip, in fact?'

'Of course he beat me; I was close-reefed Besides--'

'Oh, I remeht of you that day How did you e?'

'Oh, it was a fair wind; it wasn't far, you see'

'Grosse Gott! In _that_' He nodded towards the hence the 'Dulcibella's' taperdemurely heavenwards

'She's a splendid sea-boat,' said Davies, indignantly

'A thousand pardons!' said von Bruning, laughing

'Don't shake land in her'

'Heaven forbid; I was only thinking that there must have been some sea round the Scharhorn that day; a tame affair, no doubt, Herr Davies?'

'Scharhorn?' said Davies, who did not catch the idioo that way We cut through the sands--by the Telte'

'The Telte! In a north-west gale!' The coenuine surprise; I could swear it

He had heard nothing of this before)