ying the physical appeal of the lithe, sinuous Russian; there was no
gainsaying the call of the blood. On the other hand, the American girl
stood for everything his own mother exemplified in flesh and spirit.

As it is with all men, he was absolutely incapable of associating
passion with the mother who bore him, or with sisters who marry and give
them nieces and nephews to adore. It was impossible, utterly impossible
that they should have possessed the instincts of this woman beside
him. But even as the thought raced through his mind he experienced the
sudden, almost staggering realization that after all the chief, probably
the only difference between his women and Olga Obosky was that they were
good!

"Do you want me to tell you what I think of you?" he inquired, his eyes
hardening.

"Yes," she said calmly. "But not now. When you have more time, my
friend. I shall be very much interested to hear what you think of me. In
the meantime, I am troubled for you. You are in love with her,--oh, yes,
you are,--and I am very much afraid zat you will lose her if you are
not careful. I am your friend. Be warned in time, Mr. Percivail. She is
sorry for him. Landover. You have humiliated him before all of us. He is
the friend of her family. Go slow, my friend, or she will turn against
you and you will lose her. You have still a good chance. She is more
nearly in love with you than she suspects. A little good judgment on
your part, my friend, and you will win. She will marry you, and when
she have done so, zen you may with impunity toss Mr. Landover in the
sea,--but not now, my friend, not now."

"By Jove, you've got me guessing, Madame Obosky," he exclaimed, frankly
puzzled. "I can't make you out at all."

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Zat is because I am a thousand years old and very, oh, so very wise,
Mr. Percivail," she returned, with a smile. "Au revoir!"

Percival went straight to Captain Trigger.

"See here, Captain," he said at once, "I'm up against it with Landover.
He refuses to take orders from me. I don't want to do anything drastic
without consulting you. If you say I'm to let him off, that's the end
of it so far as I'm concerned. Of course, I can't answer for the rest
of the crowd. But if you say I am to go ahead along the line originally
laid out, I'll do it."

Captain Trigger's eyes, red from loss of sleep, pinched with anxiety,
rested for a few seconds on the three boats coming across the basin.
Then he tu