to arrest them as suspicious characters. Listen! Each of them has
a separate state-room forward. The window of the American's room
was open, and his suit-case was on the bed. On it were the
initials H. P. A. The stateroom is number twenty-four, but when I
examined the purser's list, pretending I wished to find out if a
friend of mine was on board, I found that the man in twenty-four
had given his name as James Preston. Now," he demanded, "why
should one of them hide under an alias and the other be afraid to
show himself until we leave the wharf?" He did not wait for my
answer. "I have been talking to Mr. H. P. A., ALIAS Preston," he
continued. "I pretended I was a person of some importance. I
hinted I was rich. My object," Kinney added hastily, "was to
encourage him to try some of his tricks on ME; to try to rob ME; so
that I could obtain evidence. I also," he went on, with some
embarrassment, "told him that you, too, were wealthy and of some
importance."

I thought of the lovely lady, and I felt myself blushing
indignantly.

"You did very wrong," I cried; "you had no right! You may involve
us both most unpleasantly."

"You are not involved in any way," protested Kinney. "As soon as
we reach New Bedford you can slip on shore and wait for me at the
hotel. When I've finished with these gentlemen, I'll join you."

"Finished with them!" I exclaimed. "What do you mean to do to
them?"