Brandon of the Engineers

Dick understood her. She wanted to convince him that Kenwardine was a

business man and only gambled when he had nothing else to do. Indeed, her

motive was rather pitifully obvious, and Dick knew that he had not been

mistaken about her character. Clare had, no doubt, once yielded to her

father's influence, but it was impossible that she took any part in his

plots. She was transparently honest; he knew this as he watched her color

come and go.

"After all, I don't think you liked many of the people who came," he

said.

"I liked Jake," she answered and stopped with a blush, while Dick felt

half ashamed, because he had deprived her of the one companion she could

trust.

"Well," he said, "it isn't altogether my fault that Jake doesn't come to

see you. We have had some accidents that delayed the work and he has not

been able to leave the dam."

He was silent for the next few minutes. Since Clare was eager to defend

Kenwardine, she might be led to tell something about his doings from

which a useful hint could be gathered, and Dick greatly wished to know

who visited his house on business. Still, it was impossible that he

should make the girl betray her father. The fight was between him and

Kenwardine, and Clare must be kept outside it. With this resolve, he

began to talk about the dancing, and soon afterward Jake came up and

asked Clare for the next waltz. She smiled and gave Dick a challenging

glance.

"Certainly," he said with a bow, and then turned to Jake. "As Miss

Kenwardine has been put in my charge, you must bring her back."

Jake grinned as he promised and remarked as they went away: "Makes a good

dueña, doesn't he? You can trust Dick to guard anything he's told to

take care of. In fact, if I'd a sister I wanted to leave in safe

hands----" He paused and laughed. "But that's the trouble. It was my

sister who told him to take care of me."

Dick did not hear Clare's reply, but watched her dance until Don

Sebastian's wife came up. After that he went away, and presently strolled

along the highest deck. This was narrower than the others, but was

extended as far as the side of the ship by beams on which the boats were

stowed. There were no rails, for passengers were not allowed up there;

but Dick, who was preoccupied and moody, wanted to be alone. The moon had

now risen above the mountains and the sea glittered between the shore and

the ship. Looking down, he saw a row of boats rise and fall with the

languid swell near her tall side, and the flash of the surf that washed

the end of the mole. Then, taking out a cigarette, he strolled towards

the captain's room, which stood behind the bridge, and stopped near it in

the shadow of a big lifeboat.