cheerfully; "to smoke a pipe with you."

"Smoke!" stuttered the captain, explosively; "smoke a pipe with ME?"

"Why not?" said the other. "I am offering you my services, and
anything that is worth having is worth paying for. I suppose we could
both smoke pipes under pleasanter conditions. What have you got against
me? It isn't my fault that you and my father have quarrelled."

"I don't want anything more to say to you," said the captain, sternly.
"I've shown you the door once. Am I to take forcible measures?"

Hardy shrugged his broad shoulders. "I am sorry," he said, moving to the
door again.

"So am I," said the other.

"It's a pity," said Hardy, regretfully. "It's the chance of a lifetime.
I had set my heart on fooling Kybird and Smith, and now all my trouble is
wasted. Nathan Smith would be all the better for a fall."

The captain hesitated. His visitor seemed to be confident, and he would
have given a great deal to prevent his son's marriage and a great deal to
repay some portion of his debt to the ingenious Mr. Smith. Moreover,
there seemed to be an excellent opportunity of punishing the presumption
of his visitor by taking him at his word.

"I don't think you'd enjoy your smoking here much," he said, curtly.

"I'll take my chance of that," said the other. "It will only be a matter