In a few seconds Brice had revised his ideas as to the afternoon’s adventures, and had come to a sudden decision.  Speaking with careful forethought and with a definite object in view, he said: 

“Miss Standish.  I do not ask pardon for the way I spoke to you just now.  And when you’ve heard why you won’t blame me.  I want to tell you just what happened to me today from the time I set foot on Roustabout Key. until I boarded this boat of yours.  When you realize that I thought your brother and probably yourself were involved in it to the full you’ll understand, perhaps, why I didn’t greet you with overmuch cordiality.  Will you listen?”

She nodded her head, wordless, not trusting her voice to speak further.  And she sank back into the seat she had quitted.  Brice seated himself on the thwart near her, and began to speak, while the boat, its power still shut off bobbed lazily on a lazier sea.

Tersely, yet omitting no detail except that of his talk with Davy, he told of the afternoon’s events.  She heard, wide-eyed and breathing fast.  But she made no interruption, except when he came to the episode of the moccasins she cried aloud in horror, and caught unconsciously his lacerated hand between her own warm palms.

The clasp of her fingers, unintentional as it was. sent a strange thrill through the man, and, for an instant, he wavered in his recital.  But he forced himself to continue.  And after a few seconds the girl seemed to realize what she was doing.  For she withdrew her hands swiftly, and clasped them together in her lap.

As he neared the end of his brief story she raised her hands again.  But they did not seek his.  Instead she covered her horrified eyes with them, and she shook all over.

When he had finished he could see she was fighting for self-control.  Then, in a flood, the power of speech came back to her.

“Oh!” she gasped. her flower-face white and drawn, in the faint light.  “Oh, it can’t be.  It can’t!  There must be a hideous mistake somewhere!”

“There is,” he agreed. with a momentary return to his former manner.  “There was one mistake.  I made it, by escaping.  Otherwise the plan was flawless.  Luckily. a key had been left on the floor.  And luckily.  I got hold of it.  Luckily, too, I had a match with me.  And. if there are sharks as near land as this, luckily you happened to meet me as I was swimming for shore.  As to mistakes—.  Have you a flashlight?”

From her pocket she drew a small electric torch she had had the foresight to pick up from the hall table as she ran out.  Gavin took it and turned its rays on his wet ankles.  His shoes and trouser-legs still showed clear signs of the scorching they had received.  And his palms were cut and abraded.

“If I had wanted to make up a story,” said he.  “I could have devised one that didn’t call for such painful stage-setting.”