“Oh, she was one of those who insisted that Mr. Percivail alone be held accountable, the other men not at all. She was the chairman, you see, and they were oblige to listen to her at first. But zen, presently, one of those Brazilian ladies said it was a shame to put all the blame on dear Mr. Percivail, who is such a gentleman and so splendid and all zat,—and zen—then zat Mrs. Block jump up and say that if it was not for Mr. Percivail her husband would have been killed last week when he fell off of the landing into ten sousand feet of water. And the great Careni-Amori she get up and say she would die for Mr. Percivail because he is such a gentleman, and two of those nurses at the same time cry out that he ought to be in the hospital because he is so worn-out working for other people zat he can hardly drag his poor feet around. And so it goes. Miss Clinton has departed, her chin in the air. But she does not deceive me. She has gone to her room to have a good weeping.”
“Well, I wish they'd get together on something,” growled the Captain; “so's we can all go to bed and get a few hours' sleep.”
“Like as not they're keeping the baby awake with all this jabbering,” said Mr. Codge. “And that isn't good for babies, you know. They've got to have plenty of sleep. Specially little ones.”
“Will you tell me, Captain Trigger, why Mr. Percivail did not come aboard tonight?” asked Olga suddenly. “They were expecting him.”
“And they were disappointed, eh?”
“I dare say. At any rate, a good many of them kept peering out over the water most of the time, and listening for the sound of oars.” She laughed softly.
The men chuckled. “Talk about strategy,” said Mr. Mott, “he's a bird at it. Keeps 'em guessing, he does. By glory, I wish I'd known how to handle women as well as he does. I might have been married fifteen or twenty times if I could have kept 'em anxious and worried,—but I couldn't. I never did have any sense about women. That's why I'm a bachelor instead of a grandfather.”
“He told Miss Clinton he was coming,” said Olga, harking back to the unanswered question.
“I daresay he changed his mind,” said the Captain, rather evasively.
“I do not believe zat. There is some other reason. He is not a woman, Captain Trigger.”