“Patsie——”
“Yes?”
“You left me in a hurry that morning, Patsie. You shouldn’t have rushed out so. After you were gone Captain Marrs stepped in to tell me about his rescue of Captain Orcutt and part of his crew. And then he began to tell me other things—about you. He’s a good friend of yours, Patsie. It was good to listen to him, though I knew it all before—and more. Don’t fear that all the good things you did aren’t known to me. But after a time I began to see what it was he meant, and without letting him finish I ran out to see you. But you were gone. I could just see your vessel going out by the Point in all that gale. You put to sea in all that gale, Patsie?”
“Put to sea? Yes, and lucky I did, maybe, for I was no more than in time to bring back the man you want—and he’d never seen Gloucester again if I hadn’t.”
“Who was that?”
“Who was that?”
“Who? Why, who but Orcutt.”
“Captain Orcutt? No, Patsie—it wasn’t Orcutt. He did come back in your vessel, the man I want—but it wasn’t Orcutt.”
“Not Orcutt? Not Orcutt?”