Page:C Q, or, In the Wireless House (Train, 1912).djvu/186

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“C. Q.”; or, In the Wireless House

loose one of the life-boats flashed across her mind. It would be easy enough to bribe some sailor to so create the counterfeit presentment of an escape. But the danger and genuine futility of such a course instantly became obvious to her. No, she must use all her arts to induce the Captain to keep the matter to himself and to delay action until the ship should near the shore.

They had crossed the second-cabin deck with the apparent object on the Captain’s part of asking Cloud’s name of the second-cabin steward, when a short way aft of the deck house they encountered Bennett and his sister walking in the opposite direction. This was the first time that Lily had noticed the couple, since there was, to be sure, nothing about them which would have especially attracted her attention, but as the man had removed his hat in order to get the full benefit of the breeze, his face was brought out into sharp relief by the sunlight, and, one glance at him told her that so far as features and coloring were concerned he fitted the description received by the Captain as well as Cosmo, if not better. Certainly he had blue eyes, was thin and hollow-

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