owed
uncertainly.

"Oh--and Mr. Staff," said Manvers hastily.

"Well?" said the captain without moving.

"A friend of Miss Landis and also--curiously--in the same room with Mr.
Iff."

"Ah," remarked the captain. "How-d'-you-do?" He removed his right hand
from its pocket and held it out with the air of a man who wishes it
understood that by such action he commits himself to nothing.

Before Staff could grasp it, Iff shook it heartily. "Ah," he said
blandly, "h' are ye?" Then he dropped the hand, thereby preventing the
captain from wrenching it away, and averted his eyes modestly, thereby
escaping the captain's outraged glare.

Staff managed to overcome an impulse to laugh idiotically, and gravely
shook hands with the captain. He had already exchanged a glance with the
lady of his heart's desire.

An insanely awkward pause marked Iff's exhibition of matchless
impudence. Each hesitated to speak while the captain was occupied with a
vain attempt to make Iff realise his position by scowling at him out of
a blood-congested countenance. But of this, Iff appeared to be wholly
unconscious. When the situation seemed all but unendurable for another
second (Staff for one was haunted by the fear that he would throw back
his head and bray like a mule) Manvers took it upon himself to ease the
tension, hardily earning the undying gratitude of all the gathering.

"I asked Mr. Staff to come and tell you, sir," he said haltingly, "that
I spoke to him about this matter the very night we left
Queenstown--asked him to do what he could to make Miss Landis
appreciate--"

"I see," the captain cut him short.

"That is so," Staff affirmed. "Unfortunately I had no opportunity until
this afternoon--"

Alison interposed quietly: "I am quite ready to exonerate Mr. Manvers
from all blame. In fact, he has really annoyed me with his efforts to
induce me to turn the collar over to his care."

"Thank you," said Manvers bowing.

There was the faintest tinge of sarcasm in the acknowledgment. Staff
could see that Alison felt and resented it; and the thought popped into
his mind, and immediately out again, that she was scarcely proving
herself generous.

"It's a very serious matter," announced the captain heavily--"serious
for the service: for the officers, for the good name of the ship, for
the reputation of the company. This is the second time a crime of this
nature had been committed aboard the Autocratic within a period of
eighteen mon