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Page 19
A private secretary, and only one way out! If the girl had been kind
enough to stand her ground with him he would not have cared so much.
But there she was vanishing beyond the door. There was a suggestion of
feline cruelty in thus abandoning him. He dared not call her back.
What the devil should he say to the admiral? There was one thing he
knew absolutely nothing about, and this was the duties of a private
secretary to a retired admiral who had riches, a yacht, a hobby, and a
beautiful, though impulsive daughter. His thought became irrelevant,
as is frequent when one faces a crisis, humorous or tragic; here indeed
was the coveted opportunity to study at close range the habits of a man
who spent less than his income.
"Come, come; draw up your chair, Mr. Fitzgerald."
"I beg your pardon; I--that is, I was looking at those flags, sir,"
stuttered the self-made victim of circumstances.
"Oh, those? Good examples of their kind; early part of the nineteenth
century. Picked them up one cruise in the Indies. That faded one
belonged to Morgan, the bloodthirsty ruffian. I've always regretted
that I wasn't born a hundred years ago. Think of bottling them up in a
shallow channel and raking 'em fore and aft!" With a bang of his fist
on the desk, setting the ink-wells rattling like old bones, "That would
have been sport!"
The keen, blue, sailor's eye seemed to bore right through Fitzgerald,
who thought the best thing he could do was to sit down at once, which
he did. The ticket agent had said that the admiral was of a quiet
pattern, but this start wasn't much like it. The fire in the blue eyes
suddenly gave way to a twinkle, and the old man laughed.
"Did I frighten you, Mr. Fitzgerald?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, every secretary I've had has expected to see a red-nosed,
swearing, peg-legged sailor; so I thought I'd soften the blow for you.
Don't worry. Sailor?"
"Not in the technical sense," answered Fitzgerald, warming. "I know a
stanchion from an anchor and a rope from a smoke-stack. But as for
travel, I believe that I have crossed all the high and middle seas."
"Sounds good. Australia, East Indies, China, the Antilles, Gulf, and
the South Atlantic?"
"Yes; round the Horn, too, and East Africa." Fitzgerald remembered his
instructions and spoke clearly.
"Well, well; you are a find. In what capacity have you taken these
voyages?"
Here was the young man's opportunity. This was a likeable old sea-dog,
and he determined not to impose upon him another moment. Some men, for
the sake of the adventure, would have left the truth to be found out
later, to the disillusion of all concerned. The abrupt manner in which
Miss Killigrew had abandoned him merited some revenge.
"Admiral, I'm afraid there has been a mistake, and before we go any
further I'll be glad to explain. I'm not a private secretary and never
have been one. I should be less familiar with the work than a
Chinaman. I am a special writer for the magazines, and have been at
odd times a war correspondent." And then he went on to describe the
little comedy of the statuettes, and it was not without some charm in
the telling.
Plainly the admiral was nonplussed. That girl; that minx, with her
innocent eyes and placid face! He got up, and Fitzgerald awaited the
explosion. His expectancy missed fire. The admiral exploded, but with
laughter.
"I beg pardon, Mr. Fitzgerald, and I beg it again on my daughter's
behalf. What would you do in my place?"
"Show me the door at once and have done with it."
"I'm hanged if I do! You shall have a toddy for your pains, and, by
cracky, Laura shall mix it." He pushed the butler's bell. "Tell Miss
Laura that I wish to see her at once."
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