SUE--[_Who has been listening with aroused interest._] Danny! [_She
comes down to him._ HORNE _and_ CATES _bob their heads respectfully and
move back near the platform_. HORNE _watches_ SUE _and_ DREW _out of the
corner of his eye_.] Danny, I’ve been listening to what you were saying,
but I don’t understand. What are you thinking of?
DREW [_Excitedly._] I was thinking--Listen, Sue! Seems to me from what I
saw your Pa’s out of his right mind, and, being that way, he’s sure
bound to go unless someone or something steps in to stop him. D’you
think your Ma----?
SUE--[_Shaking her head--sadly._] No, I’m afraid anything she says will
only make things worse.
DREW--Then you’ve no hope--? No more have I. Something’s got to be done
to keep him home in spite of himself. Even leaving your Ma out of it,
he’s not in any fit state to take a ship to sea; and I was thinking if
we could fix it some way so that fellow Horne could take her out on this
voyage--
SUE--But, Danny, Pa’d never give in to that.
DREW--I wasn’t thinking he would. It’d have to be done on the sly.
We--you’d have to give the word--and keep him in the house somehow--and
then when he did come out it’d be too late. The schooner’d be gone.
SUE--[_Disturbed, but showing that this plan has caught her mind._]
But--would it be fair?--he’d never forgive--
DREW--When he’s back in his right mind again, he would. [_Earnestly._]
I’m not fond of lying and tricks myself, Sue, but this is a case where
you can’t pick and choose. You can’t let him sail, and wreck his ship
and himself in the bargain, likely. Then, there’s your Ma----
SUE--No, no, we can’t let him. [_With a glance at_ HORNE _and_ CATES.]
But I don’t trust those men.
DREW--No more do I; but it would be better to chance them
than--[_Suddenly interrupting himself--with a shrug of his shoulders._]
But there’s no good talking of that. I was forgetting. None of them can
navigate. They couldn’t take her out.
SUE--But didn’t I hear him say--if they had an officer on board--like
you--
DREW--Yes, but where’ll you find one at a second’s notice?
SUE--[_Meaningly._] And you told me, didn’t you, that you’d just got
your master’s papers. Then you’re a captain by rights.