Flushing slightly, though with no other outward sign, Dave turned upon
his heel and left the group.
“I can understand the attitude of the Japanese officers, but why should
Englishmen turn against me?” Dave wondered. “The average Englishman has
no more patience with silly dueling than we Americans have.”
It would have done Dave’s heart good, just then, had he known how Danny
Grin had met and talked to the two Japanese seconds.
On hearing that Ensign Darrin would not, under any circumstances,
consent to a duel, Toruma and Hata had smiled as genially as Dan had
expected they would do.
“I don’t know,” pursued Dan, “whether you can understand the feelings
that prompt an officer to decline a duel.”
“The reason that comes most quickly to mind,” replied Toruma, “is the
feeling of fear.”
“Gentlemen, if you think that my friend, Darrin, is afraid of anything
that is honorable, then you are poor judges of human nature,” Dan
replied, with some warmth.
“But why should a naval man hesitate to accept the appeal to arms?”
inquired Toruma, with another smile.
“Darrin, to my positive knowledge, never did meet any call to arms with
anything except calm joy,” Dalzell replied warmly. “In this present
instance, if one of Mr. Darrin’s superior officers gave him an order to
meet Mr. Katura on the field of honor, Darrin would be there ahead of
time. But Mr. Darrin took the oath of the service, binding him to obey
the Navy regulations, and one of those regulations expressly forbids
him to fight duels, or to take any part in one.”
“What shall we tell Mr. Katura?” pressed Hata darkly.
“Tell him anything you please,” offered Danny Grin obligingly.
“But he will feel at once, as we do, that Mr. Darrin declines the
meeting because Mr. Darrin has not the valor to meet a resolute man on
the field of honor.”
Danny Grin looked thoughtful for a minute. Then he glanced up to ask:
“How much actual military service, under fire, have you seen, Mr.
Toruma?”
“It has not, as yet, been my good fortune to see any,” replied
Lieutenant Toruma.
“And you, Mr. Hata, may I inquire what is the extent of your service?”
“I have been as unfortunate in that respect as my friend, Toruma,”
replied Hata.
“Mr. Katura must have seen some active, hard service,” pressed Danny
Grin.
“Alas, no,” Toruma answered, “Mr. Katura has not been any more
fortunate than have we.”
“Darrin has seen some service,” Danny Grin went on calmly. “He was
commended in orders for gallant and daring work when the Navy took Vera
Cruz. Then, down in Vengara, in South America, in a revolution, he
went, with one companion, into the wilds of Vengara to visit the camp
of the former dictator, Benedito, who had an army behind him, fighting
the government of Vengara. With the help of only that one companion,
Darrin, in the heart of Benedito’s own army, took the ex-dictator
captive, at the point of a revolver, and brought him through the
forests, through the government lines as well, and turned General
Benedito over to the United States forces.”
“That was a splendid deed,” bowed Toruma.
“Have you heard of the recent conduct of our Navy at Nu-ping, China?”
Dan asked.
“Oh, yes,” nodded Toruma. “That was an excellently managed affair, and
one highly creditable to your Navy.”
“The officer who was in command at Nu-ping,” continued Dalzell, “was
David Darrin, Ensign, United States Navy.”
“He did a splendid act,” admitted Lieutenant Toruma, bowing.
“And now,” added Lieutenant Hata, “he impresses others as being afraid
to meet a gentleman on the field of honor!”
“When a man has such a record, don’t officers like you and Mr. Katura,
who have never smelled burning powder, feel like boys criticizing the
courage of a veteran?” asked Dan dryly. With the words, Dan, with one
of his famous and sardonic grins, turned on his heel and walked away,
leaving the two very much ruffled young Japanese officers.
Dave Darrin, after his rebuff in the lobby, stepped slowly toward the
door.
“I’ll go outside for a while before I go back to Belle,” he decided.
Within five minutes he ran into Dalzell, who at once told him of the
interview with the two Japanese.
“The end is not yet,” sighed Dave. “But now suppose we return and dress
for dinner. Remember, no word of this to Belle. I don’t want her
vacation spoiled if I can help it.”
But could he help it? Apparently no one at the tables noticed Belle and
the two young ensigns as they made their way through the dining room.
“Did you notice, Dave, that none of the Japanese officers, and there
were a good many of them in the room, rose and bowed to me tonight?
What can the matter be?”
“Let us hope,” answered Dave, “they’re absorbed in their own affairs.”
Belle noted, however, that throughout the meal and on their leaving the
room, no one except some United States naval officers and two American
infantry officers on leave offered them the slightest courtesy.
Leaving Belle in the parlor, the two young officers returned to the
lobby. They were shortly approached by Lieutenant Commander Emery of
the “Katahdin.”
“Hullo, Darrin. Evening, Dalzell. Now Darrin, what is this rumor about
your refusing to meet a Japanese officer on the field?” he asked
abruptly.
“There was a challenge, yes,” admitted Dave. “I declined on the ground
that our regulations forbid dueling.”
“Of course you couldn’t fight,” responded the lieutenant commander.
“But hadn’t you better go back to the ship and remain there as long as
she lies in Yokohama?”
“And give up my vacation with Belle?”
“Don’t you realize what it means in some countries to decline a duel,
Darrin? You’ll be an outcast in Tokio. For Mrs. Darrin’s sake, don’t
remain ashore and let her be tormented by the studied coldness that
will be shown you everywhere in Tokio.”
“They may think me a coward for not fighting, but I can’t be coward
enough to run from the consequences, though I dislike to involve Belle
in this.”
“Here comes Decoeur of the French Navy,” said Lieutenant Commander
Emery suddenly. “I want to shake hands with him.”
Decoeur, looking slightly embarrassed, shook hands very cordially with
Emery, who then rather abruptly introduced his brother officers, Mr.
Darrin and Mr. Dalzell.
The French officer gave the ensigns only the shadow of a bow. His hand
did not come forward. Then he passed stiffly on.
“You see,” said Emery. “You understand what the attitude in Tokio will
be. Are you going to subject Mrs. Darrin to such humiliations?”
“I don’t see how I can avoid it,” replied Dave, sick at heart on
Belle’s account.