Part 27 (1/2)

”And why shouldn't they?” demanded the First Officer. ”It's their meeting, isn't it?”

”I met Miss Clinton as I was coming up. She was going to her room.

I asked her how the meeting was getting along. I don't believe she understood me, because all she said was 'good-night.'”

”I guess she understood you, all right,” said Mr. Mott, again sniffing the air. ”Seems to me it's getting a little nearer, Captain Trigger.

There's a little breeze coming up, too.”

”A good thunder-storm,--” began the Captain, musingly, but failed to complete the sentence.

”Would settle something besides the dust,” said Mr. Codge, after a deferential wait of a few seconds.

A figure detached itself from the ma.s.s on the weirdly lighted deck below and, approaching the perch of the three officers, came to a halt almost directly below them. The light of a lantern fell fairly on the upturned, smiling face of Olga Obosky.

”What is the hour, Captain Trigger?” she inquired.

”Almost nine, Madame Obosky.

”That is nearly two bells, eh, yes? How peaceful you look up there, you three old owls.”

”Come up!” invited the Captain cheerily. She joined them a moment later.

”Tell me, are they leaving a shred of Percival and his band of outlaws?”

Mr. Codge struck a match and held it for her to light a cigarette.

She inhaled deeply and then expelled the smoke in what seemed like a prolonged sigh of satisfaction.

”They are very funny, those women,” she said, placing her elbows on the rail and looking down at the crowd. ”Do you know what the trouble is now? It is this: they cannot think of a way to condemn the action of those men as a body without also including Mr. Percivail in the verdict.”

”How's that?”

”Ninety-five per cent, of them want to exonerate Mr. Percivail, but they don't know how to do it in view of the fact that he is the guiltiest man of them all. That's why I say they are very funny, those women. They approve of what he has done in naming the baby, because whatever he does must be right, but they are almost unanimous in charging that all the other men out there were wrong. So they are in a great dilemma.”

Captain Trigger laughed. ”I see. What was Miss Clinton's position in the debate?”

”Oh, she was one of those who insisted that Mr. Percivail alone be held accountable, the other men not at all. She was the chairman, you see, and they were oblige to listen to her at first. But zen, presently, one of those Brazilian ladies said it was a shame to put all the blame on dear Mr. Percivail, who is such a gentleman and so splendid and all zat,--and zen--then zat Mrs. Block jump up and say that if it was not for Mr. Percivail her husband would have been killed last week when he fell off of the landing into ten sousand feet of water. And the great Careni-Amori she get up and say she would die for Mr. Percivail because he is such a gentleman, and two of those nurses at the same time cry out that he ought to be in the hospital because he is so worn-out working for other people zat he can hardly drag his poor feet around. And so it goes. Miss Clinton has departed, her chin in the air. But she does not deceive me. She has gone to her room to have a good weeping.”

”Well, I wish they'd get together on something,” growled the Captain; ”so's we can all go to bed and get a few hours' sleep.”

”Like as not they're keeping the baby awake with all this jabbering,”

said Mr. Codge. ”And that isn't good for babies, you know. They've got to have plenty of sleep. Specially little ones.”

”Will you tell me, Captain Trigger, why Mr. Percivail did not come aboard tonight?” asked Olga suddenly. ”They were expecting him.”

”And they were disappointed, eh?”

”I dare say. At any rate, a good many of them kept peering out over the water most of the time, and listening for the sound of oars.” She laughed softly.

The men chuckled. ”Talk about strategy,” said Mr. Mott, ”he's a bird at it. Keeps 'em guessing, he does. By glory, I wish I'd known how to handle women as well as he does. I might have been married fifteen or twenty times if I could have kept 'em anxious and worried,--but I couldn't. I never did have any sense about women. That's why I'm a bachelor instead of a grandfather.”