"You—you coward!" she panted, and struggled to close the door.
"Stand back! I am sorry to have to use force, but you compel it."
As she refused to give ground Darrin gave the door a push that forced her back, crowding her against a berth. Then he stepped into the little cabin.
In a lower berth lay a middle-aged woman whose piercing black eyes snapped as she surveyed the young naval officer.
"You are a wretch, to intrude here!" cried the older woman.
"One must often do disagreeable things in the line of war duty," Darrin answered, gravely. "For one thing, I must place you both in arrest. Then I shall be obliged to have your cabin searched."
"Oh, if I but had a weapon!" cried the older woman.
"If you had, and were quick enough," Dave assured her, "you might succeed in killing me, but that would not affect our duty here, for there are other officers at hand. Madam, I perceive that you are fully dressed, so I must ask you to rise and leave this cabin, for a few minutes, at least."
"I shall not do it," she snapped.
"Then you will oblige me to call my men in, and they will remove you, using no unnecessary violence, you may be sure, yet employing force just the same."