Mr.Wilks smiled faintly and caught his breath.
"Sit down," repeated the captain.
"I've left something in the kitchen, sir," said Mr.Wilks.

"I'll be back in half a minute." The captain nodded.

In the kitchen Mr.Wilks rapidly and incoherently explained the situation to Mr.Hardy.
"I'll sit here," said the latter, drawing up a comfortable oak chair to the stove.
"You see, he don't know that we know each other," explained the apologetic steward, "but I don't like leaving you in the kitchen." "I'm all right," said Hardy; "don't you trouble about me." He waved him away, and Mr.Wilks, still pale, closed the door behind him and, rejoining the captain, sat down on the extreme edge of a chair and waited.
"I've come to see you on a little matter of business," said his visitor.
Mr.Wilks smiled; then, feeling that perhaps that was not quite the right thing to do, looked serious again.
"I came to see you about my--my son," continued the captain.
"Yes, sir," said Mr.Wilks.

"Master Jack, you mean ?" "I've only got one son," said the other, unpleasantly, "unless you happen to know of any more." Mr.Wilks almost fell off the edge of the chair in his haste to disclaim any such knowledge.

His ideas were in a ferment, and the guilty knowledge of what he had left in the kitchen added to his confusion.
And just at that moment the door opened and Miss Nugent came briskly in.
Her surprise at seeing her father ensconced in a chair by the fire led to a rapid volley of questions.