Part 25 (1/2)

'Is this a well-known book?'

'I never saw another copy; picked this up on a second-hand bookstall for threepence'

'She looked at it, you say?'

'Yes, I'm certain of it'

'Was she never on board you in September?'

'No; I asked them both, but Dollmann made excuses'

'But _he--he_ came on board? You told me so'

'Once; he asked himself to breakfast on the first day By Jove! yes; you ood deal'

'It explains everything'

We fell into deep reflexion for a _?' I said 'In that case let's sail straight away and forget the whole affair He's only some poor devil with a past, whose secret you stumbled on, and, half mad with fear, he tried to silence you But you don't want revenge, so it's no business of ours We can ruin him if we like; but is it worth it?'

'You don't h I knohy you say it; and ” He's plotting with Ger cross-exaot to find out what he's at, as well as who he is And as to her--what do you think of her now?'

I norant,' was norant, that is, of her father's treasonable ees with a past to hide'

I said other things, but they do not matter 'Only,' I concluded, 'it makes the dilemma infinitely worse'

'There's no dilemma at all,' said Davies 'You said at Bensersiel that we couldn't hurt hiot_ to The tihy I had a baddish iven us a clue or two after all'

'It wasn't our fault To refuse to have her on board would have been to give our shoay; and the very fact that she's given us clues decides the matter She mustn't suffer for it'

'What will she do?'

'Stick to her father, I suppose'

'And what shall we do?'

'I don't know yet; how can I know? It depends,' said Davies, slowly

'But the point is, that we have two objects, equally important--yes, equally, by Jove!--to scotch him, and save her'

There was a pause

'That's rather a large order,' I observed 'Do you realize that at this very ained the first object? If ent home noalked into the Admiralty and laid our facts before them, ould be the result?'