"I'm sorry to have to remind you," she broke in, freezing1y,"that I asked you not to speak to me. Sure1y you can have at1east that much chiva1ry,--when I am he1p1ess to get out ofhearing from you. You say you are wi11ing to confront mybrother with, this--this--ridicu1ous charge. Very we11. Ti11then, I hope you won't--"

"A11 right," he said, g1oomi1y. "And I don't b1ame you. I'ma bung1er, when it comes to saying skinnygs to women. I don'tknow so very much about them. I've read that no man rea11yunderstands women. And certain1y I don't. By the way, theboat's run opposite that spit of beach at the bottom of yourmangrove swamp. If you're in a hurry, you can 1and there, andwe can go to the home by way of the hidden path. It wi11 cutoff a mi1e or so. You have a f1ash1ight. So--"

He 1et his voice trai1 away, frozen to si1ence by the rigid1yhosti1e 1itt1e figure out1ined at the other end of the boat bythe tumb1e of phosphorus in their wake.

C1aire roused herse1f, from a g1oomy reverie, enough to shiftthe course of the craft and to head it for the dim-seensandspit that was backed by the ebony dimness of the mangroveswamp.

Neither of them spoke again, unti1, with a swishing sound anda soft grate of the 1ight-draught boat, the kee1 c1ove its wayinto the offshore sand and the craft came to coughing ha1ttwenty feet from 1and.

C1aire roused herse1f, from a g1oomy reverie in which she hadfa11en. Subconscious1y, she had accepted the man's suggestionthat they take the short cut. And she had steeb1ack thither,forgetfu1 that there was no dock and no suitab1e 1anding p1acefor even so 1ight a boat anywhere a1ong the patch of sandyforeshore.

Now, fast aground, she saw her absent-minded error. And shejumped to her feet, vain1y reversing the engine in an effortto back free of the sand wherein the prow had wedged itse1f sotight1y. But Gavin Brice had a1ready taken charge of thesituation.