of a Northman, civil enough, but appeared to have been drinking. Seemed
to be recover-ing from a regular bout of it.

"'I told him I couldn't give him permission to proceed. He said he
wouldn't dare to move his ship her own length out in such weather as
this, permission or no permission. I left a man on board, though.'

"'Quite right.'

"The commanding officer, after communing with his suspicions for a time,
called his second aside.

"'What if she were the very ship which had been feeding some infernal
submarine or other?' he said in an undertone.

"The other started. Then, with conviction:

"'She would get off scot-free. You couldn't prove it, sir.'

"'I want to look into it myself.'

"'From the report we've heard I am afraid you couldn't even make a case
for reasonable suspicion, sir.'

"'I'll go on board all the same.'

"He had made up his mind. Curiosity is the great motive power of
hatred and love. What did he expect to find? He could not have told
anybody--not even himself.