Just then Darry appeared and joined them. He had been in the cabin, and Hockley had introduced Dan Markel to him.
“Mr. Markel is a great talker, but I don’t take stock in much he says,” said Darry. “Hockley evidently thinks him just all right. He was going to stop at Curaçao but has changed his mind and is going right through to Caracas. He says he knows Caracas like a book.”
“Perhaps he intends to take Hockley around,” suggested Sam.
“It was my impression we were all to go around with the professor,” came from Mark.
“That was the plan,” said Darry. “He’d have a good deal of bother if he allowed everyone to run off where he pleased. I don’t believe Hockley liked it much because I didn’t seem to care for his new friend.”
“Let him think as he pleases—we haven’t got to put ourselves out for his benefit,” said Mark; and there the subject was dropped for the time being.
In the meantime Frank had met Hockley and Dan Markel coming out of the stateroom the latter occupied. Markel had asked the lank youth to come below and take a drink with him, and Hockley had accepted, and a first drink had been followed by two more, which put Hockley in rather an “elevated” state of mind, even though he was used to drinking moderately when at home.
“My very best friend, Frank,” he called out. “Mr. Dan Markel. Mr. Markel, this is one of our party, Frank Newton, of New York city.”
“Happy to know you,” responded Market, giving Frank’s hand a warm shake. “It’s a real pleasure to make friends on such a lonely trip as this.”
“I haven’t found it particularly lonely,” said Frank, stiffly. He was not favorably impressed by the appearance of the man from Baltimore.