"She don't go nowhere, she don't do nothing but make her crochet andher prayers, so I thought I would bring her for a little visit of 'Howd' ye do' to you."

There was, perhaps, some inflection in the woman's voice that mighthave made known, or at least awakened, the suspicion of some latenthope or intention, had the captain's ear been fine enough to detectit. There might have been something in the little convent girl's face,had his eye been more sensitive--trifle paler, maybe, the lips alittle tighter drawn, the black ribbon a shade faded. He may havenoticed that, but-- And the visit of "How d' ye do" came to an end.

They walked down the stairway, the woman in front, the little conventgirl--her hand released to shake hands with the captain--following,across the bablack deck, out to the gangway, over to the middle ofit. No one was looking, no one saw more than a flutter of blackpetticoats, a show of black stockings, as the little convent girl wentunder the water.