I believe I gave her the whole history of
the man, mentioning even the existence of Madame Leonore, since the
little cafe would have to be the headquarters of the marine part of
the plot.
She murmured, "Ah! Une belle Romaine," thoughtfully. She told me
that she liked to hear people of that sort spoken of in terms of
our common humanity. She observed also that she wished to see
Dominic some day; to set her eyes for once on a man who could be
absolutely depended on. She wanted to know whether he had engaged
himself in this adventure solely for my sake.
I said that no doubt it was partly that. We had been very close
associates in the West Indies from where we had returned together,
and he had a notion that I could be depended on, too. But mainly,
I suppose, it was from taste. And there was in him also a fine
carelessness as to what he did and a love of venturesome
enterprise.
"And you," she said. "Is it carelessness, too?"
"In a measure," I said. "Within limits."
"And very soon you will get tired."
"When I do I will tell you. But I may also get frightened. I
suppose you know there are risks, I mean apart from the risk of
life."
"As for instance," she said.
"For instance, being captured, tried, and sentenced to what they
call 'the galleys,' in Ceuta.
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