Part 29 (1/2)

”So Sie I was not so clues, Brutus”

He watched us with a mild interest, and then his ardless of the pain we caused hi to o which interested ely I was preoccupied, and perhaps I did not hear you aright, but it seemed you said I should knohat had become of your mother's money What am I to understand by that?”

”You are hurt, sir,” I replied ”Why go into a painful h Only three people knew that it happened, and one of the if you are”

My father raised his eyebrows, and it seemed to me that pain had made his face look older, and not even the s

”And what are we to forget?” he asked

”Surely you know,” I said

”No,” said et?”

Was he still acting? Was it ever possible to understand hi the situation into a jest, and s to himself as he watched me And yet somehow I had ceased to hate him

”Do you mean,” I asked ”that you never took it?”

Slowly htened in his chair, and his lips, drawn tight together, seemed to repress an exclamation

”So he told you that,” he said ”He told you that I made off with her fortune? Gad! but he was clever, very, very clever”

He paused, and refilled his glass, and held it steadily before hientle, and, like his face, strung taut with pain

”No wonder she never sent me word,” he murmured

”Do you mean,” I asked, ”that you never took it?”

For a second he did not reply--only looked thoughtfully before hi that ould never see

”Why go into a painful th ”Brutus, call in Mr Aiken”

He lurched into the cabin a half a one

His shi+rt, none too white the previous afternoon, was torn and scraped as though it had scrubbed the deck, and he had transferred his red handkerchief froled hair waved around it like some wild halo His heavy hands, bruised and scarred, orking restlessly at his sides He glanced at ed arm, and his jaw thrust forward

”I warned 'em, captain,” he cried hoarsely ”By heaven, I warned 'em

'damn you,' I says, 'hell will break loose when the captain climbs aboard,' and it did, so help me There was fifteen of 'em and now there's six, and the crew has 'e 'e 'em overboard!”

”That would be a pity,” said my father ”Let the Which way are we heading, Ned?”