"Who was it?" she asked, suspecting.
"No one much," said I, "only our esteemed friend, Mr. Calvin Davidson,
whose waistcoat I am now wearing. Some one is with him, I don't know
who it is. A very nice-looking lady, next to the most beautiful woman
in this room, I must say."
"Let me see," said she; and I allowed her to look through the crack in
the screen.
"She certainly is very stunning," said I, "is she not? Tall, dark, a
trifle superb--I wonder--I wonder sometimes, Helena, if Cal Davidson
is true to Poll?"
"Nonsense!" was her retort. "But as you say, here is our adventure, or
at least yours. How do you propose to get out of it?"
"I don't know yet," said I. "Just at present I do not wish this
canvasback to get cold. We have remaining before us two hours or more,
ample time to make any plan which may be needed. Coffee, I have found,
is excellent for plans. Let us make no plans until we have had our
coffee, after our little dinner. That will be an hour or so yet.
Plenty of time to plan, Helena," said I. "And please do not slight
this bird--it is delicious."
Her eyes still were sparkling. "I'm rather glad I came," said she.
"So am I, and I shall be glad when we are back. But meantime I trust
you, Helena, absolutely. I will even tell you more. Davidson's boat,
the one which we left him instead of the Belle Helène, is lying in
the same slip with ours, rubbing noses with our yacht yonder, as I
showed you. Our men have talked with his. They do not yet suspect that
we are the vessel which everybody wants to find. I am very thankful
their engineer was so sleepy. I learned there at the wharf that Cal
Davidson was down-town at his club. He seems to have departed long
enough to find excellent company, as usual. I am glad that he has done
so, for in all likelihood he will not return to his own boat before
to-morrow morning. He will prefer his room at the club to his bunk on
the Sea Rover, if I know Cal Davidson. And by that time I hope to be
far away."
"Does he know who you are--does he know who it was that took the
Belle Helène?"
"I think not. But, very stupidly--being so anxious to see the
original--I left a photograph of yourself on our old boat, the Sea
Rover. Item, one cigarette case with my initials. Of course, Cal
Davidson may guess the simple truth, or he may make a mystery of
these things. It seems he prefers to make a mystery; and I am sure
that suits me much better."