“No; not many, unfortunately.” She diverted the attack by saying, “What are you asking for?”
“Oh, for nothing,” I answered, carelessly. I added, however, with some slight show of intention, “I’ve called it your cleverness, but I really mean it as your kindness.”
She decided to take the bull by the horns, shifting her position and standing with her back to the rail.
“If you call it kindness that I should have learned the number and location of your cabin before we left Liverpool—”
“Oh, you did it then?”
“Yes, I did it then. But if you call it kindness, of course I can’t prevent you. I can only assure you it isn’t. I knew you couldn’t get about easily—”
“How did you know that?”
“I saw you come on board. Wasn’t that enough?”
“Then let me go farther back and ask how you happened to see me come on board. Wasn’t it an extraordinary coincidence that you should have been there, right at the head of the gangway?”