THE WRECK OF THE "LADY ALICE"
as the steward assured him that he had sought for the missing passenger in every part of the ship that a passenger might be expected to frequent.
"And are you sure, Miss Strong, that you saw a body fall overboard last night?" he asked.
"There is not the slightest doubt about that," she answered. "I cannot say that it was a human body—there was no outcry. It might have been only what I thought it was—a bundle of refuse. But if Mr. Caldwell is not found on board I shall always be positive that it was he whom I saw fall past my port."
The captain ordered an immediate and thorough search of the entire ship from stem to stern—no nook or cranny was to be overlooked. Miss Strong remained in his cabin, waiting the outcome of the quest. The captain asked her many questions, but she could tell him nothing about the missing man other than what she had herself seen during their brief acquaintance on shipboard. For the first time she suddenly realized how very little indeed Mr. Caldwell had told her about himself or his past life. That he had been born in Africa and educated in Paris was about all she knew, and this meager information had been the result of her surprise that an Englishman should speak English with such a marked French accent.
"Did he ever speak of any enemies?" asked the captain.
"Never."
"Was he acquainted with any of the other passengers?"
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