"Of course."
"But I suppose there's no guessing when he will come back."
"He will come back as soon as he's spent his money."
I felt a delicacy about referring to that transaction on the pier. It was a wretched business, and I now realized that the shame of it was not lost on Gillespie.
"How does Henry come to have that Italian scoundrel with him?" I asked after a pause.
"He's the skipper of the Stiletto," Gillespie replied readily.
"He's a long way from tide-water," I remarked. "A blackguard of just his sort once sailed me around the Italian peninsula in a felucca, and saved me from drowning on the way. His heroism was not, however, wholly disinterested. When we got back to Naples he robbed me of my watch and money-belt and I profited by the transaction, having intended to give him double their value. But there are plenty of farm-boys around the lake who could handle the Stiletto. Henry didn't need a dago expert."
The mention of the Italian clearly troubled Gillespie. After a moment he said:
"He may be holding on to Henry instead of Henry's holding on to him. Do you see?"
"No; I don't."