ike a black rug beneath our
feet.

"Is it awfully late?" she whispered.

"The moon's still up, sweetheart," I said.

"Is it, dear?" she murmured, adorably sighing her contentment at this
evidence that the night must yet be very young, indeed.

And, finally, when moving stealthily like two happy thieves we went down
into the cabin, she blew a kiss to the sleeping Thomas Jefferson Davis,
then gave both hands impulsively to me, and disappeared into her room.
After the door had closed, and I felt she would not open it again, I
shook Tommy's shoulder. He blinked at me, mumbling:

"Must have been asleep."

"Must have been," I grinned down at him.

And, when he saw my grin, he sat straight up and grinned back at me--for
it is in this way that men sometimes understand each other.

CHAPTER XXVII

THE FINAL HOCUS-POCUS

Doloria breakfasted in her room, but from the galley I sent a note on
her tray, among other important things saying that I was about to break
the news to Monsieur. In her reply, surreptitiously delivered by
Echochee, who was smiling, she wrote--among still more important
things--"for Heaven's sake, break it into tiny little pieces!" With this
in mind, although having no idea how I should succeed, I came up by way
of the fo'castle and walked aft to where Tommy and he were smoking.

The open safe and three or four pipes belonging to Gates lay on the
floor between them, while the old skipper who had taken the wheel was
silently convulsed with laughter as he watched the puzzled expression on
Monsieur's face and the innocence on Tommy's. My opportunity seeming
favorable, I said:

"Professor, last night the Princess decided to give up Azuria. She's
promised to stay here and rule me; so I'm giving notice that neither
you, nor any one else, can take her."

He listened to this with more tolerance than surprise, giving Tommy a
look that implied his distress to see my prostration taking the form of
hallucinations. But Tommy added:

"It's on the square. Jack's put one over, and all he asks is your
blessing. Give it like a good sport, and, we'll drink their health."

"You are cut-upping," he gasped, staring with wide eyes--that
perceptibly narrowed as he glanced down at the pipes.

"Call it what you please," Tommy imperturbably replied, though I knew
that he was not at all sure of his ground, "but the Princess and Jack
are going to be married, and I rather fancy I'm to be best man. It would
be righ