Aunt Sophie replaced her cup in her saucer.
"Tea, Captain Peabody? Tea, Sir Hubert? No? Then if you will forgive me, I will leave you alone for a few minutes. There are some domestic trifles I must attend to."
Davenant hurried across the room to open the door for her, and she sailed out with all her stately grace, turning before she left them with a few final words.
"I shall see personally that no one listens at this door," she said. "There is a sentry at the garden door who speaks no English."
"Thank you, ma'am," said Davenant, bowing her out and shutting the door before turning back to Peabody. "A fine woman that. You have married into an admirable family, Peabody."
"I thought so myself," said Peabody, sitting down with all the coolness he could display. "But it is most kind of you to say so, sir."
Davenant sat himself opposite him. He, too, was doing his best to display cool indifference, crossing his right ankle over his left knee, and leaning back relaxed in his chair. But beneath his lowered lids he was watching Peabody closely, and he was drumming with his fingers on the arm of the chair.
"Well, what is it, sir?" he said at length.
"A challenge, sir," said Peabody. "Another one."
Those last two words were the darts to infuriate the bull, as he could remember seeing them employed in the bullfight at Algeciras. Davenant flushed a little, but he kept his reply down to one word.
"Yes?" he said.
"I'm tired of watching you across the bay," said Peabody, "and I guess you're tired of watching me."
"I'm tired of all this tomfoolery," said Davenant.
"I'm not surprised," agreed Peabody. "The whole island, of course, is amused at you."
"At me?" said Davenant, on a rising note.
"Yes," said Peabody. "Of course they do not understand the whole circumstances of the case. They can only see that you have twice my force and are having to wait here just because I do."
"They think that, do they?"
"I'm afraid so, sir. You and I know it's not true, but you can hardly blame them for judging by appearances. The mob thinks much the same all the world over."
"Damn the mob," said Davenant. But another shaft had gone home. He was thinking of the British mob, of the English newspapers, and the rash conclusions they might draw regarding his conduct. "Come out and fight me, Peabody."
"I want to," said Peabody with an edge to his voice.
"I said I had a challenge for you. Come out in the Calypso and fight me, ship to ship."
"I'd like to, by God," said Davenant, and then, trying to keep his head: "What about these damned neutrality laws?"
"We'll have to obey the twenty-four-hour rule," said Peabody. "But if I go out first I'll give you my parole to wait for the Calypso outside territorial waters. I'd be glad to let the Calypso go out first on the same understanding — it does not matter either way."
"You mean me to leave Racer and Bulldog out of the action?"
As a sailor Davenant was trying to remain clearheaded even while as a man his fierce instincts were overmastering him.
"Yes."
"Thirty-eight guns to thirty-six, and a hundred and fifty tons advantage to you."
"I know that, sir. But it's the nearest match we can arrange. You can draw extra hands from your other two ships which will help redress the balance. As many as you care to have."
"So I can."
"I'll be glad to do it. My officers have been discontented ever since our last meeting because they were sure I ought to have closed and captured the Calypso."
"Closed and — by God, sir, what do you mean by that? I still had every gun in service. If you had closed instead of cutting my rigging to pieces — by God, sir, you'd have learned a lesson you sadly need."
The bull had charged.
"I'll close with you this time, I promise you, sir," said Peabody. "I won't have a convoy to destroy as I had before."
The mention of the convoy brought Davenant out of his chair. Its destruction must have called down upon his head an official reprimand whose memory still galled him. He gobbled at Peabody, his cheeks flushed, as Peabody effected his last prod.
"Let's hope conditions will be fair," said Peabody. "When we took the Guerriere and the Java and the Peacock, we heard afterwards that the wind or the sea favored the Americans. We must see that neither of us has that kind of excuse to offer this time."
"You're insolent, sir!" raved Davenant. "Meet me how and when you like, if you dare!"
"I have already said I would," said Peabody. "We have only the details to settle. Which of us will go out first, Calypso or Delaware?"
"Have it your own way."
"As you will, sir."
"I'll take Calypso out at noon tomorrow, then you can leave next day, and I'll be waiting for you ten miles west of Diamond Rock."
"I think that will suit admirably, sir," said Peabody, rising to his feet.
He was hard put to it to maintain his expression of cool indifference and to conceal his elation, and he did not want to run even the slight risk of Davenant's reconsidering his decision.
"Ten miles west of Diamond Rock the day after tomorrow," he said. "Until then, sir, I must hope that you enjoy the best of health. Would you be kind enough to convey to the Countess my thanks for her hospitality and kindness?"
"I will, sir," said Davenant, with his stiff bow.
Outside, in the muggy heat of Fort-de-France on his way to the quay, Peabody walked as if on air. The plan had succeeded. He had got the best of the bargain. His presence in Fort-de-France had served to retain twice the force, to watch him — but when England had a navy a hundred times as strong as the American, what did that count? An American ship loose at sea, free to ravage and destroy, forcing the British to impose all the hampering restrictions of convoy on their trade, was worth a hundred American frigates in harbor.
He knew he could defeat the Calypso if the latter were unsupported by the Racer and Bulldog. It would be a hard fight, but he would win it, and there would be enough left of the Delaware to patch up and conduct on a fresh voyage of destruction; a weakened crew — Peabody made himself contemplate calmly a total of a hundred and fifty casualties — and patched sails and jury rigging, but she would still be strong enough and fast enough to play Old Harry with merchant ships. And the Racer and Bulldog had depleted crews already, if he knew anything about King's ships; Davenant would deplete them still further to give Calypso a full complement for what he must know would be the fight of his life. They would not be in a position to hamper his activity very much — they would be an easy prey for him if they dared to cross his path after he had finished with the Calypso.
Delegates were discussing terms of peace in Europe. What the basis of peace might be he had no idea, but of one thing he was sure, and that was that it would do his country no harm during the discussions if it were known that an American frigate was at large again in the West Indies. Perhaps in the United States they were tired of the war, disheartened, despondent. The loss of the Essex and of the President would not have helped to cheer them up either; the news of the capture of the Calypso would act as a tonic to them — if the peace negotiations broke down and further sacrifices were required of them, this victory would give them the necessary tonic. The White House — or what was left of it, if Hunningford's account of the raid on Washington were correct — would be all the better for the stimulus of a little victory, too. Mr. Madison might be an admirable President — as to that Peabody knew little and cared less — but as a war minister he had been a woeful failure.