The Gift of the Emperor
on the promenade deck, there came a deep, slow throbbing under-foot, and our voyage had begun.
It did not begin pleasantly between Raffles and me. On deck he had overborne my stubborn perplexity by dint of a forced though forceful joviality; in his cabin the gloves were off.
"You idiot," he snarled, "you've given me away again!"
"How have I given you away?"
I ignored the separate insult in his last word.
"How? I should have thought any clod could see that I meant us to meet by chance!"
"After taking both tickets yourself?"
"They know nothing about that on board; besides, I hadn't decided when I took the tickets."
"Then you should have let me know when you did decide. You lay your plans, and never say a word, and expect me to tumble to them by light of nature. How was I to know you had anything on?"
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