"I have been told," said he, "that you have been in the forecastle, and have seen Mr. Legrand. You think that there is some chance of his joining us? Well, it is good hearing. I have no doubt that we shall succeed in destroying the traitors."
"Mr. Morland," said I, leaning forward to him, "I would not like to leave you in the thought that this is going to be easy."
"Oh, no; it will not be easy," he agreed.
But plainly he was confident that it was possible, which I was not. If there was any one in that ship that doubted, it was I. I said nothing, however, but remarked that Holgate was a man of resource and capacity.
"I am willing to believe that," he said after a pause. "He is a very clever scoundrel. Oh, yes."
"We might be in a better position to counter his plans if we fathom them," I suggested.
He looked at me, interrogation in his blue eyes, which were, and were not, so like his sister's.
"The question that puzzles me, sir, is why Holgate did not seize the saloon and the deck below last night when he had the chance—for down there is what he wants."
"He had us locked up in the chart-house," replied the Prince with assurance. "He did not anticipate that we should escape; and the yacht was running into danger."
Yes; that was the explanation that had occurred to me; indeed, it was the explanation that hitherto we had all accepted. But was it true?