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Rowland merely bowed, slightly, but Mr. Meyer muttered to himself: “Vealth and influence. Berhaps not. Now, gentlemen,” he added, in a louder tone, “to pizness. Mr. Rowland, will you tell us about der running down of der Royal Age?“

“Was it the Royal Age?” asked Rowland. “I sailed in her one voyage. Yes, certainly.”

Mr. Selfridge, more interested in Myra than in the coming account, carried her over to a chair in the corner and sat down, where he fondled and talked to her after the manner of grandfathers the world over, and Rowland, first looking steadily into the faces of the two men he had come to expose, and whose presence he had thus far ignored, told, while they held their teeth tight together and often buried their finger-nails in their palms, the terrible story of the cutting in half of the ship on the first night out from New York, finishing with the attempted bribery and his refusal.

“Vell, gentlemen, vwhat do you think of that?” asked Mr. Meyer, looking around.

“A lie, from beginning to end,” stormed Captain Bryce.

Rowland rose to his feet, but was pressed back by the big man who had accompanied him–who then faced Captain Bryce and said, quietly:

“I saw a polar bear that this man killed in open fight. I saw his arm afterward, and while nursing him away from death I heard no whines or complaints. He can fight his own battles when well, and when sick I’ll do it for him. If you insult him again in my presence I’ll knock your teeth down your throat.”

CHAPTER XII

There was a moment’s silence while the two captains eyed one another, broken by the attorney, who said:

“Whether this story is true or false, it certainly has no bearing on the validity of the policy. If this happened, it was after the policy attached and before the wreck of the Titan.”

“But der concealment–der concealment,” shouted Mr. Meyer, excitedly.

“Has no bearing, either. If he concealed anything it was done after the wreck, and after your liability was confirmed. It was not even barratry. You must pay this insurance.”

“I will not bay it. I will not. I will fight you in der courts.” Mr. Meyer stamped up and down the floor in his excitement, then stopped with a triumphant smile, and shook his finger into the face of the attorney.

“And even if der concealment will not vitiate der policy, der fact that he had a drunken man on lookout when der Titan struck der iceberg will be enough. Go ahead and sue. I will not pay. He was part owner.”

“You have no witnesses to that admission,” said the attorney. Mr. Meyer looked around the group and the smile left his face.

“Captain Bryce was mistaken,” said Mr. Austen. “This man was drunk at New York, like others of the crew. But he was sober and competent when on lookout. I discussed theories of navigation with him during his trick on the bridge that night and he spoke intelligently.”

“But you yourself said, not ten minutes ago, that this man was in a state of delirium tremens up to der collision,” said Mr. Meyer.

“What I said and what I will admit under oath are two different things,” said the officer, desperately. “I may have said anything under the excitement of the moment–when we were accused of such an infamous crime. I say now, that John Rowland, whatever may have been his condition on the preceding night, was a sober and competent lookout at the time of the wreck of the Titan.”

“Thank you,” said Rowland, dryly, to the first officer; then, looking into the appealing face of Mr. Meyer, he said:

“I do not think it will be necessary to brand me before the world as an inebriate in order to punish the company and these men. Barratry, as I understand it, is the unlawful act of a captain or crew at sea, causing damage or loss; and it only applies when the parties are purely employees. Did I understand rightly–that Captain Bryce was part owner of the Titan?“