"Yes. Ben, do you know who that fellow is?"
"I sartainly do," declared Ben, relishing his triumph. "That's the feller Pierre, that madame was talkin' about."
"It's Pierre all right," admitted Dare, "but, more than that, it's Payter!"
CHAPTER VI
DARE'S STORY
Dare related the events which had culminated in his dramatic meeting with Ben, when they returned on board the Nancy.
"When I left the quay I went straight across to the barber's," he told Ben. "He's a funny chap; smells like anything of scent; and talk—my word! he gets round a subject in the most complete way."
"I know," put in Ben; "I went over and asked him if he'd seen you."
"Ah, you did. Well, when I entered the shop he was busy shaving a sailor; American, I think. I sat down to wait my turn, and began looking at a paper to pass the time. While I was doing that and having a look round in between whiles, I began to listen to the barber, who was talking at a fearful rate.
"He talked about the weather, the town, the number of ships in the harbour, the state of his trade, and gradually he got more personal and began to try and pump the sailor. But the sailor wasn't having any. All he answered was yes and no, and sometimes he didn't even bother to say that. But the barber didn't mind; he kept on. And finally he began to talk about hair; that was when he had finished shaving the man, and had suggested a hair-cut. The sailor told him to go ahead, and go ahead he did, cutting the hair and talking about it at the same time.