“What fool-talk is this?” Randall impatiently asked.  “I know now that it was my daughter you had on board your boat.  What you think about my actions doesn’t worry me in the least.  Your quibbling is childish and unbecoming to a man of your age.  You will change your tune, though, let me tell you that, when you are called upon to face the charge of being involved in my daughter’s wild escapade.”

“Go ahead, Mister, go ahead.  Whenever ye want me, jist sing out.”

“Oh, I shall sing out, all right.  You needn’t think I’m bluffing.  When I undertake a thing I carry it through.”

“An’ I s’pose ye’ll carry through the persecution of that gal ye call yer daughter?”

“What do you mean?”

“Ye’ll force her to marry that Lord’s son, the feller with the wobbly knees an’ brainless head?”

“Yes, I am determined that she shall marry Lord Donaster’s son.  My mind is made up to that, and nothing can change it.”

“But ye haven’t got yer daughter yit.”

“Oh, that’s merely a matter of time.  She may escape me for a while, but I shall get her sooner or later.”

“But s’pose somebody else gits her first?”

“You mean young Hampton?” Randall somewhat anxiously asked.

“I sartinly do.  He’s hot on her trail, an’ it looks to me as if they’re mighty fond of each other.  Mebbe they’re off now to be hitched up.  Ye kin never tell what notions young people’ll take.”

“Then I’ll tear them apart,” Randall angrily declared.  “My daughter shall never remain the wife of an ignorant country clown.  But I don’t believe she would go that far.  No doubt she is hiding somewhere.  Have you any idea where that might be?”

“I don’t believe she’s on board the ‘Eb an’ Flo’ this time.  Ye’ll have to hunt elsewhere.”

“And I shall.  I’ve lost too much time already, and I should be in the city by now.  I have an important business engagement there.  Confound it all!”

Without another word he turned and strode out of the house, slamming the front door after him.  There was silence in the room for a brief space, broken at last by the captain’s chuckle of amusement.

“Ho, ho,” he laughed, “that feller got a dose to-night, didn’t he?  What d’ye say, Martha?  Got a big hand-out fer me now?”

“No, Sam’l,” was the quiet reply.  “I really can’t scold you this time.  You did what was right in saving that poor girl from such a brutal father.  But why didn’t you tell me about it?”

The captain shuffled uneasily, although his eyes twinkled.

“I was really afraid to, Martha,” he confessed.  “But I was wrong.  I’ll never do sich a thing agin.  The next gal who flops herself aboard the ‘Eb an’ Flo,’ I’ll bring straight home fer you to look after.”

“For pity’s sake, Sam’l, I hope you’ll never get into such a scrape again.  And you are not out of this one yet, from all appearance.  Mr. Randall is a hard man to deal with, and I feel sure that he intends to go to law about this affair.”