“You may depend on me,” replied Lester.
“I know it well. Goodbye, Lester.”
That evening the Loelia sailed from Levuka. Pedro Diaz had been transferred from the Maritana and was now mate of the cutter.
As night came on, and the green hills of Ovalau Island changed to purple, Brabant turned suddenly to his officer.
“Come below, Pedro, I want to talk to you.”
The Chileno followed him in silence, and the two men remained conversing in almost whispered tones for some time.
“Tell me,” asked the Chileno, fixing his dark eyes on the captain's face; “when did you first begin to suspect?”
“From the very first day that I saw her and Danvers together. He betrayed himself—fool that he is—by being too formally polite to her, before me.”
“And then you read this letter of his to her. How did you get hold of it?”
“I was coming back from my bathe in Totoga Creek about six in the morning. Went into Manton's for a few minutes' rest and a smoke. Danvers's door was open, and though he was not in the room, I could hear his voice talking to Manton. I stepped inside to sit down and wait for him. He had been writing a letter, which was but half finished. It was to my wife, and began, 'My darling Helen.'”