CHAPTER VIII—THE EVENING OF THE SAME DAY
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ONCE within the shadow of the lumber Annie paused. Not a sound came from the two schooners. She knew that the Merry Anne lay to leeward, on the north side, and after a moment of listening and a glance behind she turned toward it, making her way by feeling the lumber until she found an opening. In another moment she stood at the edge of the pier, looking down on the schooner. At first she thought Dick must be asleep, for there was no light in the cabin; then she saw him sitting on the cabin trunk, his hands clasped about his knees, his pipe between his teeth, his eyes fixed on the dark water. The night was still, the lapping of the ripples was the only sound.
“Dick,” she whispered.
He turned with a start and removed his pipe. Though he looked directly toward her, he evidently could not see her, for her black dress blended with the shadows.
“Dick,” she said again.
This time he ducked under the boom and came across to the rail. “Who's there?”