"But if you open your mouth
again I 'll gag you. Now stop it; the first word you utter will mean a
handkerchief in your mouth."
I stooped down, and dragged him to one side. As I straightened up again
she was facing me, her eyes frankly meeting mine.
"You--you know how I came here?" she asked, as though that was the most
important.
"Of course; I overheard most of the conversation."
"How did you find out? how did you get here?"
"Your door was left ajar, and I found my way through the connecting
bathroom yonder."
"Then--then, we can escape in the same manner."
"I hardly think that will be necessary. I 'll go through our friend's
pockets for his keys." I turned him over, and began the search. "Ah, a
revolver; I thought probable--in protection against a woman, you cur.
Here are keys; now let's see what they fit."
The third one tried unlocked the door, but even as I tried them in the
lock, my mind swiftly reviewed the situation in which this affair left
us, and leaped forward toward a possible solution. It must be open war
from now on. No pretense on my part would ever again win me the
confidence of the man I had fought and conquered. Henceforward, we could
expect no mercy on board. Yet how was it possible to escape, or avoid
discovery? To attempt leaving the _Sea Gull_ before dark would be
suicidal; no boat could be lowered unseen, and even if one reached the
surface of the water, we would surely be overtaken, and brought back.
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