Then she sat at the table again, and smiled deprecatingly at Mr. Jones.
“Will you allow me to speak quite frankly, Mr. Jones?”
Mr. Jones, with his mouth full of biscuit, signified assent; and Emmie startled him and her allies by a quiet but entirely damaging attack upon the _Marian II._ She said that if Mr. Jones was fond of _Marian II._ and wanted to keep her, there was no more to be said. But if he really wished to sell the ship, she must confess that the price he was asking struck her as quite ridiculous. She admitted that _Marian II._ was the best of the bunch. “Oh, yes, certainly. As to the other two--” and she gave a little shiver, as if upset by the mere recollection of their state. One of them, she went on demurely, was to her mind little better than a derelict, and the other one gave her an impression of being about to sink at its moorings.
“Well, that was my impression,” said Emmie. “I don’t profess to be an expert. But I can assure you, Mr. Jones, we are here to do business. We _want_ to do business. Can’t we make a deal of it, anyhow?”
“Not on your terms. I’d sooner go to government. You forget there’s government always ready to buy.”
“Oh, Mr. Jones!” said Emmie, as if shocked by this pretence. “I understand that the government officials have inspected your ships at least a dozen times.”
“Never. If the government had wanted them they would have taken them long ago.”
“Nevertheless, Mr. Jones,” said Emmie, resuming a gentle argumentative tone, “suppose we were to make you a sporting bid for the three vessels?”
“No, no,” said her partners, astounded; and Mr. Cairns touched her arm and began to cough. But Miss Verinder quietly went on with it.
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Every day your ships are deteriorating in value. Now a _firm_ offer, Mr. Jones. _Cash!_ Twenty-seven thousand for the three!”
Mr. Gann and Mr. Rice both turned upon her; Captain Cairns, choking, took her by the arm and led her to the recess of the furthest window. There her partners expostulated with her, declaring that they could not plunge in this manner. One ship was all they were good for.
“Very well,” she immediately replied; “then I’ll do the other two ships on my own.”
“And let us stand or fall on number one?”