The After House

I opened the door and called to Charlie Jones to send the butler,

and stood by, waiting for the fresh explosion that was coming.

Williams shakily confessed that there was no whiskey on board.

"Where is it?" Turner thundered.

Williams looked at me. He was in a state of inarticulate fright.

"I ordered it overboard," I said.

Turner whirled on me, incredulity and rage in his face.

"You!"

I put the best face I could on the matter, and eyed him steadily.

"There has been too much drinking on this ship," I said. "If you

doubt it, go up and look at the three bodies on the deck."

"What have you to do about it?" His eyes were narrowed; there was

menace in every line of his face.

"With Schwartz gone, Captain Richardson dead, and Singleton in irons,

the crew had no officers. They asked me to take charge."

"So! And you used your authority to meddle with what does not

concern you The ship has an officer while I am on it. And there

will be no mutiny."

He flung into the main cabin, and made for the forward companionway.

I stepped back to allow Miss Lee to precede me. She was standing,

her back to the dressing-stand, facing the door. She looked at me

and made a helpless gesture with her hands, as if the situation

were beyond her. Then I saw her look down. She took a quick step

or two toward the door, and, stooping picked up some small object

from almost under my foot. The incident would have passed without

notice, had she not, in attempting to wrap it in her handkerchief,

dropped it. I saw then that it was a key.

"Let me get it for you" I said. To my amazement, she put her foot

over it.

"Please see what Mr. Turner is doing," she said. "It is the key

to my jewel-case."

"Will you let me see it?"

"No."

"It is not the key to a jewel-case."

"It does not concern you what it is."

"It is the key to the storeroom door"

"You are stronger than I am. You look the brute. You can knock me

away and get it."

I knew then, of course, that it was the storeroom key. But I could

not take it by force. And so defiantly she faced me, so valiant was

every line of her slight figure, that I was ashamed of my impulse to

push her aside and take it. I loved her with every inch of my

overgrown body, and I did the thing she knew I would do. I bowed

and left the cabin. But I had no intention of losing the key. I

could not take it by force, but she knew as well as I did what

finding it there in Turner's room meant. Turner had locked me in.

But I must be able to prove it--my wits against hers, and the

advantage mine. I had the women under guard.