Have you been pumping
Marcel? You may as well admit it if you have, for I shall ask him when I
see him next at one of our secret meetings, and he will confess. There's
nothing he can refuse me, as you have cause to know--and you know why.

I inquire as to this more from curiosity than anxiety, because I should
rather like to know what is in Marcel's mind about me. I never knew he
had the qualities of a detective among his many gifts. He has plenty of
others! But what does it matter what he thinks, or you screw out of him?
I don't mind telling you frankly that your suspicions are justified--to
a certain extent. It's not a woman who is in the case. It's a girl. Is
that worse or better, think you?

I'm not in love with her, but Edward Caspian is, and I am dog in the
manger enough not to want him to get her. My future fate--as I expect it
to be--lies thousands of hard miles away from this exquisite American
child, just unfolded from the pink cotton of a French convent. I am
human, however. I'm not a stone, but a man. I saw the girl on the ship,
and before I heard her name something stirred in my memory. You know
already what the name is, if you know anything from Marcel, or if
you've put two and two together--a favourite occupation of yours, and
then skilfully demonstrating that they're five!

She didn't remember me--how could she?--though she did once say
something about my eyes "looking familiar." Naturally I was interested
in her. And though I thoroughly enjoyed the patronage of Mrs. Shuster
and some others who condescended to visit us third-class animals, I
could but appreciate the delicate discrimination of Miss Moore and her
friend Mrs. Winston.

I've never thought of myself as a chivalrous person. On the contrary,
I'm what my life has made of me, something of the brute. But such dregs
of chivalry as had settled at the bottom of my soul's cup were stirred
by the news of Laurence Moore's trouble and its immediate effect upon
his daughter. I heard on the dock, and the child heard on the dock--from
Caspian, who had come to meet my present employer, Mrs. Shuster. It was
easy to see (knowing what we know of him now) that Caspian had decided
at first sight to go for the girl, who has grown astonishingly pretty
and attractive. I'm here to block his game. That's why I took on this
idiotic job with Madam Shuster. It's enough to make a Libyan lion laugh!
But I saw no other way of keeping near, to do the watchdog act--not
be