“I did not,” the Captain replied, a little tersely. “I ran into Brown here and we both had a shake-up.”
“But he was there—a second ago!” Laura cried out.
“I beg your pardon, miss,” Brown ventured, “but the deck’s closed at the end, as you can see, with sail-cloth, and I was leaning over the rail myself when you shrieked. There wasn’t any one else near me, and no one can possibly have passed round the deck, as you can see plainly for yourself.”
Laura stood quite still.
“What doors are there on the side?” she asked.
“The doors of my room only,” the Captain replied, a little shortly. “It was Brown you saw, of course. He was standing exactly where you thought you saw Craig.”
Laura walked to the end of the deck and back.
“Very well, then,” she said, “you people had better get a strait-waistcoat ready for me. If I didn’t see Craig there, I’m going off my head.”
Quest had disappeared some seconds ago. He came thoughtfully back, a little later.
“Captain,” he asked, “what shall you say if I tell you that I have proof that Craig is on board?”