Rose began to cry bitterly, in the midst of these words. Captain Mason put her away with horror.
"Would marry Captain Thrasher! Captain Thrasher!" He spoke in a hoarse whisper, as if the words chilled him.
"Oh, I couldn't help it!" pleaded poor Rose, dropping on her knees, and holding up both hands like an infant Samuel.
"No, sir; Rose tells the truth. She tried and tried, but madame would go," said Paul, dropping on one knee by Rose, and pleading for her with his eyes. "That bad man came after madame, and put my mother's jewels on her neck. It was them which carried her away from Rose."
"Married to Captain Thrasher!" The words came forth hoarsely from his white lips. "My wife!"
Rice came up at the moment, looking fierce and agitated.
"Come away, captin, come away; this isn't no place for us," he said. "I will search the rascal out, though he were hid away in the icebergs of the frozen ocean. I'll neither eat nor sleep till he's handcuffed and shackled down in jail."
"Is this thing true, Rice?" inquired Mason, in a deadly whisper.
"True as the gospel, captin. He married 'em both—your wife and my sister. Oh!"
The sailor ground his teeth, and clenched his hand until it looked like a mass of iron.