"Ask Monsieur de la Logerie to come and speak to us," said Bertha.
"Monsieur de la Logerie is not aboard of me," replied the captain.
"But," returned Bertha, in a troubled voice, "at any rate, you have two ladies, haven't you?"
"Ladies or passengers, I haven't any," said the captain; "except a rascal in irons down in the hold, where he is cursing and swearing fit to take the masts out of the ship and make the bulkhead he's lashed to tremble."
"Good God!" cried Bertha, trembling herself. "Do you know if any accident has happened to the persons who were to embark on your ship?"
"Faith, my pretty young lady," said the captain, "if you would tell me what all this means you would oblige me greatly; for the devil is in it if I can make out anything about it. Last night two men came on board, both from Monsieur de la Logerie, with two different messages: one ordered me to sail at once; the other told me to stay where I was. One of these men was an honest farmer,--a mayor, I think, for he showed me a bit of a tricolor scarf. It was he who told me to up anchor and be off as fast as I could. The other, who wanted me to stay, was an old galley-slave. I put faith in the most respectable of the two, for, after all, his advice was safest, and I came away."
"My God!" exclaimed Bertha, "it must have been Courtin; some accident has happened to Monsieur de la Logerie!"
"Do you want to see the other man?" asked the captain.
"What man?" said the marquis.
"The one I've got below in irons. You may recognize him, and then we shall get at the truth of this business,--though it is too late now to do any good."