nd expect you) to stop his
'dropping in,' as it is called, any hour of the day or evening when he
may have nothing to do. Is that understood between us?"

"If you make a point of it, Richard, of course it's understood between
us."

Launce looked at Natalie, as weak Sir Joseph consented in those words.

"What did I tell you?" he whispered.

Natalie hung her head in silence. There was a pause in the conversation
on deck. The two gentlemen walked away slowly toward the forward part of
the vessel.

Launce pursued his advantage.

"Your father leaves us no alternative," he said. "The door will be
closed against me as soon as we get on shore. If I lose you, Natalie, I
don't care what becomes of me. My profession may go to the devil. I have
nothing left worth living for."

"Hush! hush! don't talk in that way!"

Launce tried the soothing influence of persuasion once more.

"Hundreds and hundreds of people in our situation have married
privately--and have been forgiven afterward," he went on. "I won't ask
you to do anything in a hurry. I will be guided entirely by your wishes.
All I want to quiet my mind is to know that you are mine. Do, do, do
make me feel sure that Richard Turlington can't take you away from me."

"Don't press me, Launce." She dropped on the locker. "See!" she said.
"It makes me tremble only to think of it!"

"Who are you afraid of, darling? Not your father, surely?"

"Poor papa! I wonder whether he would be hard on me for the first time
in his life?" She stopped; her moistening eyes looked up imploringly in
Launce's face. "Don't press me!" she repeated faintly. "You know it's
wrong. We should have to confess it--and then what would happen?" She
paused again. Her eyes wandered nervously to the deck. Her voice dropped
to its lowest tones. "Think of Richard!" she said, and shuddered at the
terrors which that name conjured up. Before it was possible to say a
quieting word to her, she was again on her feet. Richard's name had
suddenly recalled to her memory Launce's mysterious allusion, at the
outset of the interview, to the owner of the yacht. "What was that you
said about Richard just now?" she asked. "You saw something (or heard
something) strange while papa was telling his story. What was it?"

"I noticed Richard's face, Natalie, when your father told us that the
man overboard was not one of the pilot-boat's crew. He turned ghastly
pale. He looked guilty--"

"Guilty? Of what?"

"He was presen