But he never for an instant imagined she was meekly accepting defeat at his hands instead of biding her time to resume the attack from a new quarter.  So he wasn’t at all surprised when, one evening, quite early after dinner, she contrived another tete-a-tete, and with good conversational generalship led their talk presently into a channel of amiable personalities.

“And have you been thinking about what we said—­or what I said, my friend—­that night—­so long ago it seems!—­three nights ago?”

“But inevitably, Liane.”

“You have not forgotten my stupidity, then.”

“I have forgotten nothing.”

She made a pretty mouth of doubt.  “Would it not have been more kind to forget?”

“Such compliments are not easily forgotten.”

“You are sure, quite sure it was a compliment?”

“No-o; by no means sure.  Still, I am a man, and I am giving you the full benefit of every doubt.”

She laughed, not ill-pleased.  “But what a man! how blessed of the gods to be able to laugh at yourself as well as at me.”

“Undeceive yourself:  I could never laugh at you, Liane.  Even if one did not believe you to be a great natural comedienne at will, one would always wonder what your purpose was—­oh yes! with deep respect one would wonder about that.”

“And you have been wondering these last three days?  Well, tell me what you think my purpose was in abandoning all maidenly reserve and throwing myself at your head.”

“Why,” said Lanyard with a look of childlike candour, “you might, you know, have been uncontrollably swayed by some passionate impulses of the heart.”

“But otherwise—?” she prompted, hugely amused.

“Oh, if you had a low motive in trying to make a fool of me, you know too well how to hide your motive from such a fool.”

In a fugitive seizure of thoughtfulness the violet eyes lost all their impishness.  She sighed, the bright head drooped a little toward the gleaming bosom, a hand stole out to rest lightly upon his once again.

“It was not acting, Michael—­I tell you that frankly—­at least, not all acting.”

“Meaning, I take it, you know love too well to make it artlessly.”

“I’m afraid so, my dear,” said Liane Delorme with another sigh.  “You know:  I am afraid of you.  You see everything so clearly...”

“It’s a vast pity.  I wish I could outgrow it.  One misses so many amusing emotions when one sees too clearly.”

During another brief pause, Lanyard saw Monk come on deck, pause, and search them out, in the chairs they occupied near the taffrail, much as on that other historic night.  Not that he experienced any difficulty in locating them; for this time the decklights were burning clearly.  Nevertheless, Captain Monk confessed emotion at sight of those two in a quite perceptible start; and Lanyard saw the eyebrows tremendously agitated as their manipulator moved aft.