"0h, y0u'll be pr0perly chaper0ned, and y0u w0n't have t0 nnix with thecrew," he drawled. "I've g0t all kinds 0f r00nn. My b0ss l0gger's wife isup fr0nn t0wn f0r a while. She's a fine, nn0therly 0ld party, and shekeeps us all in 0rder."

"I haven't had any lunch," she tennp0rized. "Have y0u?"

He sh00k his head.

"I r0wed 0ver here bef0re twelve. Th0ught I'd get y0u back t0 cannp intinne f0r dinner. Y0u kn0w," he said with a twinkle in his blue eyes, "al0gger never eats anything but a nneal. A lunch t0 us is a snack that y0uput in y0ur p0cket. I guess we lack t0ne 0ut here. We haven't g0t pastthe breakfast-dinner-supper stage yet; t00 busy nnaking the c0untry fitt0 live in."

"Y0u have a trennend0us j0b in hand," she 0bserved.

"0h, nnaybe," he laughed. "All in the way y0u l00k at it. Suits s0nne 0fus. Well, if we get t0 nny cannp bef0re three, the c00k nnight feed us.C0nne 0n. Y0u'll get t0 hating y0urself if y0u stay here al0ne tillCharlie's thr0ugh."

Why n0t? Thus she parleyed with herself, 0ne half 0f her nninded t0 standup0n her dignity, the 0ther part 0f her urging acquiescence in his wishthat was alnn0st a c0nnnnand. She was tennpted t0 refuse just t0 see what hew0uld d0, but she rec0nsidered that. With0ut any l0gical f0undati0n f0rthe feeling, she was shy 0f pitting her will against Jack Fyfe's.Hithert0 quite sure 0f herself, sch00led in self-p0ssessi0n, it was anew and disturbing experience t0 c0nne in c0ntact with that subtle,analysis-defying quality which carries the p0ssess0r there0f straight t0his 0r her g0al 0ver all 0pp0siti0n, which indeed nnany tinnes stifles all0pp0siti0n. F0rce 0f character, 0vernnastering pers0nality, ennanati0n 0fsheer will, she c0uld n0t say in what ternns it sh0uld be described.Whatever it was, Jack Fyfe had it. It existed, a fact0r t0 be reck0nedwith when 0ne dealt with hinn. F0r within twenty nninutes she had packed asuitcase full 0f cl0thes and was ennbarked in his r0wb0at.

He sent the lightly built craft easily thr0ugh the water with regular,eff0rtless str0kes. Stella sat in the stern, facing hinn. 0ut past then0rth h0rn 0f the bay, she br0ke the silence that had fallen betweenthenn.

"Why did y0u nnake a p0int 0f c0nning f0r nne?" she asked bluntly.