THE SECOND-CABIN PASSENGER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 7763, 20 May 1896, Page 4

THE SECOND-CABIN PASSENGER.

[BY EDWARD MARSHALL.]

FAST 11. {.Continued). Morley's heart leapt within him when he _aw tho man turn ashly palo after this speeoh. The captain, not waiting for him to speak, however, went on : • Were I so disposed I could secure twenty years of penal servitude for you, which is the penalty for such a crime when committed on the high eeae. I am aware, however, that there must have been a screw looEe in the management of this ehipor you ooald not have left tho second cabin and entered this lady's room without interference. Now, Thompson, I offer to make the charge against you so much less serious that themost severe penalty which you oan bs made to pay shall be ten yeatg instead of twenty, 'and I promise not to protest should it be even lesa than that, if you will explain to rao in detail tho way in which yoo. Eoaured euteaaca to tho oabin of a saloon passenger.' Tho man at thia point started to epsak, but the captain Biienced him with, lifted hand and added.' 4 Wo know how and when tho robbery was committed. Yon assaulted Mr Morley on deck last night, and in the struggle passed your hand inaide his waistcoat and abatraor ted the jewels, substituting therefor a paokage of rubbish of similar eizq and shape, so that he should not miss them. Concerning that performance you can give us no information. It was a very clever bit of sleight-of-hand.

' Now, I havo told you what I want to know. I shall give you 25 minutes in which to tell me. You can uss as much of of that timo as you like for reflection. If, when it has ended, you have not made a complete statement of all tho facis I ask for, I shall order tho sailors who brought you up here to Ehackle you hand end foot nnd confitt- you in the hold on bread and water until the ship reaches port, when I shall tutu yoa over to the proper authorities, and, with Mr Morley's help, bhall press the proaecution without mercy." The deathlike pallor had cot left the man's face when tha captain finished speaking. For a moment or two he _ept silence and duricg that period Morley felt convinced that his pien had beea successful—that the real criminal had bsen pushed to the wall by this clever deception, and that he was fibout to clear the innocent of ouapicion by making full confoseicn. But this hope dwindled and disappeared as tho man regained his _el£-poeaesbion and began to speak. When ha iiaally opened hid mouth the faint color had returned to the naturally somawhfst eailow cheeks and his voice was without a tremor.

1 Sir,' he said, ' you are kboiing under a most cruel mietaifo I admit that my ignorance of steamship rules did, on the sacond dhy ou , :, ptrmit me to pass to a part of. tbe vessel from which my povery barred me, and I admit thufc I resisted your sailors, thus unintentionally disturbing a lady, whea, without explaining , my mistake to me, nnd thus instantly i_Burin# your saloon passengers against further intrusion from my humble Bslf, they etastod to roughly drag me away. I htive Binoo been assured that your second officer did explain to me. I do not admit thia to be trua, although it is possible that ha spoke without my knowledge, as I am somewhat hard of heating. Further than this, I acknowledged that last night I, who am unaccustomed to the motion of a ship at sea and am doubtless awkward under its influence, was thrown by a lurch of the veasel rather forcibly agaiust odd of your psssengero, who wus loaning on the other oido of the eacond cabin rail, and that, in affright, I clung to him until I regained ray lost balance. But that I feel any enmity toward, or have in any way endeavored to annoy any lady ou your ship; that I had any knowledge of the identity of the gentloirau on whom 1 co unintentionally relied iov support List evening-; that 1 know ho had diamonds in his possession or stolo or ever stole anything ia my life —which has not been without ite vicissitudes, but which has not beeu utained by any diehonorablf. sot—l emphatically and iiEqualifkdly ceny If you? officer claims to iiavo discovered any evidence to the contrary in my berth or elsewhere he lies. I did not, until you intimated the fact, know who the gentleman was who had lost the diamoads, ror had any possible way oi knowing that ho had any diamonds iv his possession to loco. I have never seen him before, co far as I know, as I rarely notice feces ia a crowd unless they are called to my attention. 8.0 may very well have passed under say ejoa without atty especial notica as—the geatleman will pardon me— there is nothing particularly impressive in Ms appearance If it was ho whom I involuntarily clung to last aight, I very properly and very humbly repeat the apology which I believe i mado at the time.

'I have nothing tnora to say, sir,'he went on in a voios which wsa ao w peculiarly calm and soft. ' I recogniza that you, as O-ptain, are responsible for the safety of the property aa well as the Uvea on board this chip, and I recognize your power to do with me or any othor passenger as you please. If you ere satisfied that I am guilty of this extraordinary crime you will of course bo justified in putting me in confinement, and you have the power to also pat me in shacklea. If, through soino extrnordinary combinaiion of circumstances, you ere convinced that I am gmlty, you must of oourse turn me over to the officer of the law at Liverpool. But I declare that you are mad to accußo me, r.ad I ehall hold you and your company atric ly accountable for treatment of me. If this raau accuses me you have 6 right to lock mo up, but your light ends there. You h.'ive no right to punish rao. The Unglish and jury who will try me will alone have that right, providing you psrsitst in this absurd charge. , Morley's heort sank within him Jfo matter how well might be the man's appearance, or how euspioious might be his actions, this speech, the latter part of which had been deiivored with some declamatory effect, eounded like that of one who was innocont, and who was not afraid that he would not be nltimately cleared of an unjust charge. And had the man stopped there the captain, already convinced that thero waa practically no foundation for the charge he had made, would probably have refused to proceed farther along this lino and would have permitted him to go free. But the second cabin pasaeDger, who had worked himself up to a hij-h point of fervor, went further. Pie edded:

' There is a law for the weak as well as for the strong. Do your worst, sir, after consultation with this extraordinary person who accuses me. Do your worse, eir, do your worst. I defy you, sir. . Here he lost tho ti_mir_ble control of himself which had before mado his spoeoh impressive a_d raved like a lunatic, as he had when, the sailore wero taking him along the decks. ' I defy you, sir, and £ defy your whole dirty crew. Harm one hair of my head and you shall pay for it, you ehall tuffer for it.' The captain, hia face purplo with anger, stepped to the door and oallod the sailors. ' 'i'_ko thia man below,' ho ordered, ' and shaoklo him. Tell tho chiof officer to coino to mo at once.' To tho chief officer, who responded promptly, the captain gavo orders to have ttaa man kept ou broad acd water until they reached port. Hβ was dragged aft cursing and soroaming a crazy defianco to tho wholo ehipful. After his shouts had died away tho captain turned to Morley. Hβ was a man of tho sort which U unlikely to discriminate in its anger. Ho v/fiti thoroughly araueed now. * That is what I got, youn;? man, for liateni-g to your absurd attempt to fasten ! this crime on another person than tho ono who hud committed it.'

'If you think hiai guiltless, , ar.icl Morley, disoourapjod by the torn affairs had taken, • why do you Bend him bolow ?' r iho captain v;ne angry now; ho wua angry at ihompson for defying and cursing , him, he was angry at Morley for having gotten him into thia unpleasant episode, and ho was angry at hiuieolf for submitting to tho udvieo oi anyone olse in tho handling of _iv own ship. * Thia ail'ttir hiia given mo all tho trouble I shall permit it to,' he declared emphatically. ' From now on I wuuh my hands of it till wa roach port. Your young woman is tho guihy ono. Ihcro is not a doubt of that on 'ay mind. If ahq ia not guilty let her prevo her inaooenco in court. I fchuil preau tho elmrtfo egaiust hor inyaoif. If aho aieapofl, somo ovidoaoo of which I havo no knowledge will lnive to bo brought in to prove it. You can aconao this raving luuatio wliom I havo looked up if you want to, and get laughed at and very likely proceeded against for your pains. 1 hold Mudulino i'orrino guily oi grand lurcany on the high sous find on my ship, and shall treat her accordingly.' ' But, cuptnin, you will not publicly diagraoe hot by letting other pasHongers know that who ia acouisod, will you? Aud you will not rei'uso to let rao soa hor, will you?' • ' For your _n_o, Morley, , said tho captain, evidently imprcaaud by tho young rauu'u diaixestj,' doapita liia ' I wilS wot axpoiio uer ou tho a'iiip. -ho'll got all tho expuuuro eho aocAs when v/o got to Liverpool. I'or vuur fiii.htt'ii ijiilio I won't lot you m;iku t\ i-;oi oi yotu'ffiili any longor. If | ytVA tiilit v.ii';: i.tl.tt yuillur WWUIiU iltfitiu jt will liv H'.'»s;i;;lji_ry v/lioro i o'.in't puivout it. You can't Hto hor again while you'ro on board thia voehoL 1 want to bo loft alono now.' Morloy, realising that a captain is the fcing oJi hia ship, and Boeiag that he could