Granger turned slowly in his seat and let his gaze fall upon the nervous little man for a second or two before he spoke.
“Ah! Master Rheum-in-the-head, maybe they did,” he said, “and maybe the devil come along and carried them off in a thunder-cloud, or maybe a sea-serpent swallowed them. Eh?”
Habakkuk looked into the others’ unsmiling faces and sniffed, while a weak, ineffectual little smile spread over his bilious, pimply face, and then, as Granger betrayed no amusement, it struck him that he must have said something sensible, so he answered, “Ay, most likely,” wagging his head sagely.
The company burst into a roar of laughter, and Habakkuk, feeling that this time he had been witty, joined with them happily.
“Ah, no, but it is unnatural,” continued Granger thoughtfully after the laughter had subsided. “And ye know it ain’t the first time a rowboat o’ rum and two chaps have been lost,” he went on. “Just in the same way, too, started off after dawn and never seen no more. Ah, unnatural, that’s what it is.”
“The currents be plaguey strong out i’ the channel,” said French, looking up for a moment.
Granger was up in arms at once.
“Currents!” he ejaculated. “Now tell me, just tell me, Master French, do you think either Clarry Kidley or Gustave Norton would be likely to run into anything like that, an’ if they did, to stay in it? Just tell me!”
French shrugged his shoulders and continued to explain to Red the kitten’s natural objection to being stroked from tail to the ears.
Granger looked round triumphantly. “Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know,” he said at last.