"Captain Horble?" said Gregory Cole.
"Glad to see you aboard," said Horble.
They shook hands and sat side by side on the rail.
"Where's Madge?" said Gregory.
"Mrs. Horble's ashore," said the captain.
"I'm afraid I can never call her anything but Madge," said Gregory, detecting the covert reproach in the other's voice.
Horble was plainly ill at ease. His face turned a deeper red. He was on the edge of blurting out a disagreeable remark, and then hesitated, making an inarticulate sound in his throat. Like everybody else, he was afraid of the labor captain.
"Crew's ashore, too," said Gregory, glancing about the empty deck.
"There ain't no crew," muttered Horble.
"Thunder!" cried Gregory. "Do you do it with electricity, or what?"