Although the evidence she tendered was of dubious value, she strove to
advance her argument further.
"I have prized our friendship greatly, Dr. Christobal," she said,
speaking with a calm deliberateness that rang hollow in her own ears,
"so greatly that I am compelled to utter this protest. Now, to end a
distasteful controversy, let me tell you what I know to be true. When
the ship was stranded, and we all thought our only chance of safety was
to take to the boats, by a fluke, the accident of the moment, I was
left alone in the captain's cabin. The sea was breaking in through the
doorway, and it brought an odd relief to my over-burthened mind when I
endeavored to rescue the contents of a locker which, for some reason,
had been scattered on the floor previously. Among them I found some
letters. I think you will believe me when I say that I would not
consciously read another person's private correspondence. Just then, I
was hardly responsible for my actions, and I did happen to see and
grasp the meaning of a passage in a letter from Captain Courtenay's
sister which alluded to his affianced wife.
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