“No, I was not.”
“Nor even in the very smallest of the ship’s boats—officially?”
“No.”
“And a watch is kept on English ships.”
“Certainly.”
“So that you could not take a speaking horn and halloa for a barca?”
“No.”
“You took, then, the trouble to prearrange that a barca should come alongside of your ship at such a time; it is not necessary that the watch should know this, for a barca man can move in silence when directed, and on such an occasion would not use lights. The spot where he should lie under the ship therefore would have been indicated with some care, and most secret signals concerted. Also there was a guard at the landing stage even at Syracuse, when your great fleet seemed like to blow us out of memory; also there was the sentry to be bribed at the town gates, or a rope ladder to be at a certain place for scaling the walls; also without a trusty guide you would have searched all night for the Mont’ alti Palace, which you had never seen; also the lute which you played was native Sicilian, and like to be especially procured for the purpose. If your Admiral had meant to take the city by a night surprise, he could not have laid his plans more carefully; and you did all this without any definite object?”
“Madam, if you must have it, I thought you very pretty and proud.”
“More desirable than some ladies in Syracuse?”