"Yes. Her father's name would naturally start her to thinking, which
would make things awkward."
"Larry, the _Gazette_ is going to print his name to-morrow morning as
sure as Smith is a lying sneak."
"We've still got to-day, haven't we? By Jove, it's nearly eleven
already. A reporter may be down on us at almost any minute. We can't
stand being cross-examined. No searchlight of journalism playing about
on the _Cypriani_ just now, thank you. My own idea is--"
"To grab him, to batter the face off him--"
"No, to elude him. Not to be here. In short, to run away."
"_What?_ You can't mean that you are going to let that dog drive you
back to New York?"
"Well, hardly. But I do mean to make him think he has! I mean to run
down the river a few miles and anchor where they can't find us, simply
to get out of the way. Then we'll run back to-morrow in time for the
luncheon. What do you think of that?"
Peter, his forehead rumpled like a corduroy road, stared at him fixedly
and thought it over. "I think it's the best thing in sight," he said
judicially. "An exceedingly neat little idea."
"If we're being watched, it may persuade them that we've gone. Anyway,
it will give us time to decide what next," said Varney. And he hurried
off to confer with the sailing-master.
Presently the engine-room bell rang out a signal. Orders were given and
repeated above and below. Men began moving about swiftly. The noise of
coal scraped hurriedly out of bunkers smote the air. The _Cypriani's_
hold throbbed with sudden life.
Varney, running hastily through the two newspaper stories again to make
sure that they had missed nothing that might be important to them, was
presently joined by Peter, who was looking at his watch every third
minute and swearing softly every time he looked. Something had been
discovered amiss with the machinery, it seemed. The captain was sure he
would have the plaguy thing all right in another half-hour, but you
never could tell. For his part he'd swear that a yacht was worse than
an old-style motor car: you could absolutely count on her to be out of
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