ming himself now for not having observed certain things
before, or, at least, for not having studied them more closely, and he
was busily connecting them with more recent observations made that very
day.

He had observed, for instance, that Blood's ship was named the Arabella,
and he knew that Arabella was Miss Bishop's name. And he had observed
all the odd particulars of the meeting of Captain Blood and Miss Bishop,
and the curious change that meeting had wrought in each.

The lady had been monstrously uncivil to the Captain. It was a very
foolish attitude for a lady in her circumstances to adopt towards a man
in Blood's; and his lordship could not imagine Miss Bishop as normally
foolish. Yet, in spite of her rudeness, in spite of the fact that she
was the niece of a man whom Blood must regard as his enemy, Miss Bishop
and his lordship had been shown the utmost consideration aboard the
Captain's ship. A cabin had been placed at the disposal of each, to
which their scanty remaining belongings and Miss Bishop's woman had been
duly transferred. They were given the freedom of the great cabin, and
they had sat down to table with Pitt, the master, and Wolverstone, who
was Blood's lieutenant, both of whom had shown them the utmost courtesy.
Also there was the fact that Blood, himself, had kept almost studiously
from intruding upon them.

His lordship's mind went swiftly but carefully down these avenues of
thought, observing and connecting. Having exhausted them, he decided
to seek additional information from Miss Bishop. For this he must wait
until Pitt and Wolverstone should have withdrawn. He was hardly made to
wait so long, for as Pitt rose from table to follow Wolverstone, who had
already departed, Miss Bishop detained him with a question:

"Mr. Pitt," she asked, "were you not one of those who escaped from
Barbados with Captain Blood?"

"I was. I, too, was one of your uncle's slaves."

"And you have been with Captain Blood ever since?"

"His shipmaster always, ma'am."

She nodded. She was very calm and self-contained; but his lordship
observed that she was unusually pale, though considering what she had
that day undergone this afforded no matter for wonder.

"Did you ever sail with a Frenchman named Cahusac?"

"Cahusac?" Pitt laughed. The name evoked a ridiculous memory. "Aye. He
was with us at Maracaybo."

"And another Frenchman named Levasseur?"

His lordship marvelled at her memory of these names.

"Aye