"Bring up Harrigan," he said, when the bos'n appeared again.
"I've considered myself a judge of human nature," she apologized, "but
I shall think a long time before I venture another decision."
"You're wrong to feel that way. It would take a shrewd judge to see through Harrigan unless his record were known."
The door opened and the bos'n entered with Harrigan. He fixed his eyes upon the captain without a glance for Kate Malone.
"Harrigan," said McTee, "I've been telling Miss Malone that you can be released from your trouble by saying half a dozen words to me. And you know that you can. You will be treated better than anyone in the crew if you will put your hand in mine and say: 'Captain McTee, I give you my word of honor as a man to do my best to obey orders during the rest of this trip and to hold no malice against you for anything that has happened to me so far.'
"For you see," he explained to the girl, "he probably thinks himself aggrieved by my discipline. Will you say it, Harrigan?"
Instead of answering, the cold eye of Harrigan turned on Kate.
"I told you not to speak to the captain," he said.
"Ah," said McTee, "you were clever enough for that?"
"Do you say nothing, Harrigan?" she said incredulously. "Do you really refuse to speak those words to the captain after he has been generous enough to give you a last chance to make a man of yourself?"