"Thanks," said Warren dryly. "And I can take my oath Uncle Warpus will appreciate it if you do. And how?"
"Mr. Baldwin!"
"Sir?"
"Make a note of this. To-morrow morning you will Institute an inquiry, with whatever reason or pretext you like, to find out whether any passenger on this boat got an injury along the fines you've heard described. Be discreet, burn you! or I'll have your stripes. Then report to Mr. Morgan. Now I've done all I can for you," he snapped, turning round, "and I'll bid you good night. But, mind I expect co-operation. Co-operation. I've done a good ileal already, and if so much as one word of all this is breathed, God help you!… And you want to know the truth, Mr. Warren," said Captain Whistler, his Cyclops eye i suddenly bulging past all control, "I think you're mad, sir. i think you're stark, raving mad, and these people] are shielding you. One more questionable action, sir, just one more questionable action, and into a strait-waistcoat 1 you go. That's all!!!'&—£&&"'£&£% Va % Va!!!???!… j Good night." j
The door closed with a dignified slam, and they were j alone. j
Brooding, Morgan stared at the floor and chewed at the i stem of his empty pipe. Besides, his eyes would keep: wandering to the berth; and he did not like to think of j that. The Queen Victoria was pitching less heavily now, ^ so that you could feel the monotonous vibration of the screw. Morgan felt cold and unutterably tired. He jumped I as voices began to sing and glanced up dully. Peggy Glenn and Curtis Warren, with seraphic expressions on their faces (at two o'clock in the morning) had their heads together and their arms round each other's shoulders; they! were swaying slowly as they uplifted throats in harmony:
"Oh, a life on the ocean wave[sang these worthies] A ho-ome on the ro-olling deep… I A life on the ocean wave.
"Shut it, will you?" said Morgan, as Captain Valvick uttered a hoot of approval and joined his unmusical bass to me chorus. "Aside from the fact that there are people hereabouts trying to sleep, you'll have the captain back in here."
This threat quieted them in the middle of a bar. But they shook hands all around, gleefully, and Warren insisted or shaking Morgan's hand in a shoulder-cracking grip. The Englishman studied them: Valvick draping himself affably over the washstand, and Peggy and Warren chortling on the berth. He wondered if they had any idea what had really happened. He also wondered if it would be wise to tell them.
"Hoy," said Warren in admiration, "I don't mind telling you it was a swell piece of work. It was great. It was the MM." He waggled his hand high in the air and brought it down on his knee. "That crack about elephants and bears, and the horrible threat to spill the beans on that incorrigible souse, Captain Whistler… yee! Great! You are hereby elected Brains of this concern. Henceforth anything you say goes. As for me, I'm going to be good, and how. YOU heard what the old sea-terrier said."