"The other," he continued, "was to arrange to remove the two of you in such fashion as to establish your innocence. I am free to say the first was the easiest course. The dictates of humanity, however, prevailed."
How he rolled that last sentence!
"And what do you know of humanity that soaked the decks of the Santissima Trinidad with blood?" she answered. "You that the Spaniards cite as a byword for cruelty and wickedness! I will not believe a word that you say. I will not believe any man here. You are all smirched with the same badness."
"Blessed Virgin guard me!" whimpered O'Donnell. "And did any ever hear a daughter tell off her father the like of that? Glad I am the mother that bore ye——"
Peter leaned his great bulk forward upon the table.
"Don't talk no more, you," he commanded the Irishman. "Neen, I talk! Little gal, Bob andt I we don't come wit' Murray because we like to. He makes us. Ja! He uses us. He uses your fat'er. He uses you. But when we are wit' him we do what we can to take care of you. It is not goodt for little gals to be on pirate ships. Neen!"
He leaned back.
"Dot's all."
Her blue eyes dwelt seriously upon his vast, flat face, with its insignificant features blobbed here and there.
"I believe you," she said.