"'No, sir; not yet,' the captain said. 'Absolutely none.'
"'How extraordinarily fortunate!' our friend let him have that then. Of course, he gave the captain the ordinary English time allowance for thought; but I needed a little time myself. Pretty soon, however, Dunneston explained.
"'For it would quite prevent any possible interest in this if we knew, wouldn't it?' he appealed. 'Oh, quite prevent it! But now—'
"'Aw—Captain, no offence, sir; none at all! But you know, sir, this passage had started out extraordinarily dully. Even the pools in the smoking-room, sir, upon which one can usually count, have attracted only the most forced interest. And aside, sir, from the protection we could give the ladies, do not you think, Captain, that this extraordinary chance might be profitably employed to—'
"But you wouldn't believe the rest now, if I told you, Miss Varris," Preston broke off, laughing at the recollection. "Even I caught
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