"Good morning, Bill!" he said; "what is it?"
"I will talk with you outside, sir, if you don't mind."
A good deal surprised Frank put on his cap and went out with him.
"There has been a bad business, Master Frank, a mighty bad job."
"What sort of a job, Bill?"
"A smuggling affair, Master Frank. There was a fight. I hears one of the revenue men was killed. I don't know as that is so, but some of them have been knocked about, and have got some pistol wounds, no doubt. But that ain't the worst part of the business. Mr. Julian is among those as has been caught."
"Julian!" Frank exclaimed in astonishment. "Why, what in the world had Julian got to do with it?"
"Well, sir," the sailor said apologetically, "you see it was like this. Mr. Julian is a young gentleman as loves a bit of a spree, and he has been out many a night with some of us to see a cargo run."
Frank uttered an exclamation of surprise and consternation.
"I thought perhaps as you knowed it, sir."