“Good morning, Madame. May I speak to your husband for a moment?”
Mathis poked his head over her shoulder. “Hullo! Good morning! Are you ready so soon?”
“Can I speak to you for a moment?”
“Of course!” He came out in his shirt sleeves and grinning cheerfully. “I am important only to myself. I am easy to approach.”
“Would you mind coming into my cabin for a moment?”
Mathis glanced at him curiously. “You look very serious, my friend. Yes, of course I will come.” He turned to his wife. “I will be back in a minute, chérie.”
Inside the cabin, Graham shut the door, bolted it and turned to meet Mathis’ puzzled frown.
“I need your help,” he said in a low voice. “No, I don’t want to borrow money. I want you to take a message for me.”
“If it is possible, of course.”
“It will be necessary to talk very quietly,” Graham went on. “I do not want to alarm your wife unnecessarily and the partitions are very thin.”