rs to the old sailor's sanctum.

"Mr. Brendon to see us, Uncle Ben," she said, and Mr. Redmayne took
his eye from the big telescope.

"A blow's coming," he announced. "Wind's shifted a point to
southward. Dirty weather already in the Channel."

He shook hands and Jenny disappeared. Bendigo was pleased to see
Brendon, but his interest in his brother had apparently waned. He
avoided the subject of Robert Redmayne, though he revealed other
matters in his mind which he approached with a directness that
rather astonished the detective.

"I'm a rough bird," he said, "but I keep my weather peeper open, and
I didn't find it difficult to see when you were here in the summer,
that my fine niece took your fancy. She's the sort, apparently, that
makes men lose their balance a bit. For my part I never had any use
for a woman since I was weaned, and have always mistrusted the
creatures, seeing how many of my messmates ran on the rocks over
'em. But I'm free to grant that Jenny has made my house very
comfortable and appears to feel kindly to me."

"Of course she does, Mr. Redmayne."

"Hold on till I've done. At this minute I'm in sight of a very
vexatious problem; because my right hand--Giuseppe Doria--has got
his eyes on Jenny; and though he's priceless as a single man and
she's invaluable as a single woman, if the beggar gets round her and
makes her fall in love with him presently, then they'll be married
next year and that's good-bye to both of 'em!"

Mark found himself a good deal embarrassed by this confidence.

"In your place," he said, "I should certainly drop Doriaa pretty
clear hint. What is good form in Italy he knows better than we do,
or ought to, seeing he's a gentleman; but you can tell him it's
damned bad form to court a newly made widow--especially one who
loved her husband as your niece did, and who has been separated from
him under such tragic circumstances."

"That's all right; and if there was only one in it I might do so;
though for that matter I'm afraid Doria isn't going to stop here
much longer in any case. He doesn't say so, but I can see it's only
Jenny who is keeping him. You've got to consider her too. I'm not
going to say she encourages the man or anything like that. Of course
she doesn't. But, as I tell you, I'm pretty wide awake and it's no
good denying that she can endure his company without hurting
herself. He's a handsome creature and he's got a way with him, and
she's young."

"I rather