Mr. Nott examined the tool carefully, and shook his head with momentous significance.  Nevertheless, his eyes wandered to the hatch on which he was seated.

“Did you find anything disturbed there?” said Renshaw, following the direction of his eye.  “Was that hatch fastened as it is now?”

“It was,” said Nott, calmly.  “But ye wouldn’t mind fetchin’ me a hammer and some o’ them big nails from the locker, would yer, while I hang round here just so ez to make sure against another attack.”

Renshaw complied with his request; but as Nott proceeded to gravely nail down the fastenings of the hatch, he turned impatiently away to complete his examination of the ship.  The doors of the other lofts and their fastenings appeared secure and undisturbed.  Yet it was undeniable that a felonious entrance had been made, but by whom or for what purpose, still remained uncertain.  Even now, Renshaw found it difficult to accept Nott’s theory that De Ferrieres was the aggressor and Rosey the object, nor could he justify his own suspicion that the Lascar had obtained a surreptitious entrance under Sleight’s directions.  With a feeling that if Rosey had been present he would have confessed all, and demanded from her an equal confidence, he began to hate his feeble, purposeless, and inefficient alliance with her father, who believed but dared not tax his daughter with complicity in this outrage.  What could be done with a man whose only idea of action at such a moment was to nail up an undisturbed entrance in his invaded house!  He was so preoccupied with these thoughts that when Nott rejoined him in the cabin he scarcely heeded his presence, and was entirely oblivious of the furtive looks which the old man from time to time cast upon his face.

“I reckon ye wouldn’t mind,” broke in Nott, suddenly, “ef I asked a favor of ye, Mr. Renshaw.  Mebbee ye’ll allow it’s askin’ too much in the matter of expense; mebbee ye’ll allow it’s askin’ too much in the matter o’ time.  But I kalkilate to pay all the expense, and if you’d let me know what yer vally yer time at, I reckon I could stand that.  What I’d be askin’ is this.  Would ye mind takin’ a letter from me to Rosey, and bringin’ back an answer?”

Renshaw stared speechlessly at this absurd realization of his wish of a moment before.  “I don’t think I understand you,” he stammered.

“P’r’aps not,” returned Nott, with great gravity.  “But that’s not so much matter to you ez your time and expenses.”

“I meant I should be glad to go if I can be of any service to you,” said Renshaw, hastily.

“You kin ketch the seven-o’clock boat this morning, and you’ll reach San Rafael at ten”—­

“But I thought Miss Rosey went to Petaluma,” interrupted Renshaw quickly.

Nott regarded him with an expression of patronizing superiority.  “That’s what we ladled out to the public gin’rally, and to Ferrers and his gang in partickler.  We said Petalumey, but if you go to Madrono Cottage, San Rafael, you’ll find Rosey thar.”