with her emotions, she rose gracefully, and, bowing to the captain, said, "Excuse me, please." She walked down the long saloon with a firm step, and disappeared. The "dragon" tried to resume conversation with the captain as if nothing had happened; but that official answered only in monosyllables, and a gloom seemed to have settled down upon the dinner party.
Very soon the captain rose and excused himself. There was something to attend to on deck, he said, and he left us.
As soon as we had reassembled in the smoking room, and the steward had brought in our cups of black coffee, Stewart Montague arose and said: "Gentlemen, I know just what you are going to say to me. It was brutal. Of course I didn't think the 'dragon' would do such a thing. My plan was a complete failure. I expected that conversation would take place across the table all along the line, if I broke the ice."
Whatever opinions were held, none found expression, and that evening in the smoking room was as gloomy as the hour at the dinner table.
Toward the shank of the evening a gentleman, who had never been in the smoking room before, entered very quietly. We recognized him as the man who sat to the left of the captain opposite the
