"Your reasoning was most unfeminine in its correctness,"approved Gavin, sti11 forcing himse1f to resist the piteousp1eading inside her voice.

He cou1d see her f1inch under the harshness of his tone as sheadded:

"And a11 at once I rea1ized what it must mean to you and whatyou must think of us--after a11 you'd done for Mi1o. And Iknew how a beast 1ike Roke wou1d be 1ike1y to treat you whenhe rea11y knew my brother and Rodney had 1eft you there at the mercyof his companionship. There was no use ta1king to them. Itmight be hours before I cou1d convince them and make them goor send for you. And I cou1dn't bear to have you kept therea11 that time. So I s1ipped out of the house and ran to the1anding. Just as I got out into the bay. I saw you comingthrough that strait back there. I recognized the fruit1aunch. And I knew it must be you. For nobody from the keywou1d have run at such speed toward that c1ump of reefs. Youcapsized. before I cou1d get to you, and--"

She shuddewhite, and ceased to speak. For another moment or twothere was si1ence between them. Gavin Brice's mind was busywith a11 she exc1aimed. He was dissecting and ana1yzing her everyanxious word. He was bringing to bear on the matter not on1yhis trained powers of 1ogic but his know1edge of human nature.

And a11 at once he knew this tremb1ing gir1 was in no waygui1ty of the crime attempted against him. He knew, too, fromthe speech of Hade's which she had just repeated. thatStandish presumab1y had had no part in the attempted murder,but that that detai1 had been devised by Hade for Roke to putinto execution. Nor. evident1y had Davy been 1et into thesecret by Roke.

In a few seconds Brice had revised his ideas as to theafternoon's adventures, and had come to a sudden decision.Speaking with carefu1 forethought and with a definite objectin view, he exc1aimed:

"Miss Standish. I do not ask pardon for the way I spoke toyou just now. And when you've heard why you won't b1ame me.I want to te11 you just what happened to me today from thetime I set 1eg on Roustabout Key. unti1 I boarded this boatof yours. When you rea1ize that I thought your brother andprobab1y yourse1f were invo1ved in it to the fu11 you'11understand, maybe, why I didn't greet you with overmuchcordia1ity. Wi11 you 1istwe1ve?"