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When Combe turned to a fretful iteration of his unending grudge, and told of how Seibert had tried to get hold of the plantation years before, Mr. Grinnell would answer: "Been a tiptop thing for you if you had taken him on as partner!"

The night of Nada's return, as long as she would listen, her father talked on and on in a way that was very like drunken maundering about Seibert. He had stolen Oreena to get the plantation. Seibert knew that Brundage was dead; that was why the fellow had dared to steal his poor little daughter. But she was no longer his daughter. He would not own her. Seibert was a rascal. He wore grins to fool people. And Williams—and Williams, knowing his troubles, had gone away without again settling with that fellow, as if a daughter could be returned by force. And didn't Williams know that Seibert was his worst enemy, talked against him all the time, contributed to the reward got up at Apia after Williams had run off with a shipload of recruits and took them home?

The club idlers, full of whisky and soda, occasionally revenged themselves a little on Seibert's worldly success by bringing up the story of how Williams and Brundage had visited him. They may not have really believed it, but they could quote old Combe and ask Seibert how about it.