The Wings of the Morning

by Louis Tracy

  CHAPTER XVI

  BARGAINS, GREAT AND SMALL

  Lord Ventnor was no fool. Whilst Iris was transforming herself from asemi-savage condition into a semblance of an ultra _chic_Parisienne--the _Orient's_ dramatic costumier went in for strongstage effects in feminine attire--Sir Arthur Deane told the Earlsomething of the state of affairs on the island.

  His lordship--a handsome, saturnine man, cool, insolently polite, andplentifully endowed with the judgmatical daring that is the necessaryequipment of a society libertine--counseled patience, toleration, evensilent recognition of Anstruther's undoubted claims for servicesrendered.

  "She is an enthusiastic, high-spirited girl," he urged upon hissurprised hearer, who expected a very different expression of opinion."This fellow Anstruther is a plausible sort of rascal, a good man in atight place too--just the sort of fire-eating blackguard who would fillthe heroic bill where a fight is concerned. Damn him, he licked metwice."

  Further amazement for the shipowner.

  "Yes, it's quite true. I interfered with his little games, and he gaveme the usual reward of the devil's apothecary. Leave Iris alone. Atpresent she is strung up to an intense pitch of gratitude, havingbarely escaped a terrible fate. Let her come back to the normal.Anstruther's shady record must gradually leak out. That will disgusther. In a week she will appeal to you to buy him off. He is hardup--cut off by his people and that sort of thing. There you probablyhave the measure of his scheming. He knows quite well that he can nevermarry your daughter. It is all a matter of price."

  Sir Arthur willingly allowed himself to be persuaded. At the back ofhis head there was an uneasy consciousness that it was not "all amatter of price." If it were he would never trust a man's face again.But Ventnor's well-balanced arguments swayed him. The course indicatedwas the only decent one. It was humanly impossible for a man to chidehis daughter and flout her rescuer within an hour of finding them.

  Lord Ventnor played his cards with a deeper design. He bowed to theinevitable. Iris said she loved his rival. Very well. To attempt todissuade her was to throw her more closely into that rival's arms. Theright course was to appear resigned, saddened, compelled against hiswill to reveal the distressing truth. Further, he counted onAnstruther's quick temper as an active agent. Such a man would be thefirst to rebel against an assumption of pitying tolerance. He wouldbring bitter charges of conspiracy, of unbelievable compact to securehis ruin. All this must recoil on his own head when the facts were laidbare. Not even the hero of the island could prevail against theterrible indictment of the court-martial. Finally, at Singapore, threedays distant, Colonel Costobell and his wife were staying. LordVentnor, alone of those on board, knew this. Indeed, he accompanied SirArthur Deane largely in order to break off a somewhat tryingentanglement. He smiled complacently as he thought of the effect onIris of Mrs. Costobell's indignant remonstrances when the baronet askedthat injured lady to tell the girl all that had happened at Hong Kong.

  In a word, Lord Ventnor was most profoundly annoyed, and he cursedAnstruther from the depths of his heart. But he could see a way out.The more desperate the emergency the more need to display finesse.Above all, he must avoid an immediate rupture.

  He came ashore with Iris and her father; the captain of the_Orient_ also joined the party. The three men watched Robert andthe girl walking towards them from the group of officers.

  "Anstruther is a smart-looking fellow," commented Captain Fitzroy. "Whois he?"

  Truth to tell, the gallant commander of the _Orient_ was secretlyamazed by the metamorphosis effected in Robert's appearance since hescrutinized him through his glasses. Iris, too, unaccustomed to theconstraint of high-heeled shoes, clung to the nondescript's arm in amanner that shook the sailor's faith in Lord Ventnor's pretensions asher favored suitor.

  Poor Sir Arthur said not a word, but his lordship was quite at ease--

  "From his name, and from what Deane tells me, I believe he is anex-officer of the Indian Army."

  "Ah. He has left the service?"

  "Yes. I met him last in Hong Kong."

  "Then you know him?"

  "Quite well, if he is the man I imagine."

  "That is really very nice of Ventnor," thought the shipowner. "The lastthing I should credit him with would be a forgiving disposition."

  Meanwhile Anstruther was reading Iris a little lecture. "Sweet one," heexplained to her, "do not allude to me by my former rank. I am notentitled to it. Some day, please God, it will be restored to me. Atpresent I am a plain civilian."

  "I think you very handsome."

  "Don't tease, there's a good girl. It is not fair with all these peoplelooking."

  "But really, Robert, only since you scraped off the upper crust have Ibeen able to recognize you again. I remember now that I thought youwere a most distinguished looking steward."

  "Well, I am helpless. I cannot even squeeze you. By the way, Iris,during the next few days say nothing about our mine."

  "Oh, why not?"

  "Just a personal whim. It will please me."

  "If it pleases you, Robert, I am satisfied."

  He pressed her arm by way of answer. They were too near to the waitingtrio for other comment.

  "Captain Fitzroy," cried Iris, "let me introduce Mr. Anstruther to you.Lord Ventnor, you have met Mr. Anstruther before."

  The sailor shook hands. Lord Ventnor smiled affably.

  "Your enforced residence on the island seems to have agreed with you,"he said.

  "Admirably. Life here had its drawbacks, but we fought our enemies inthe open. Didn't we, Iris?"

  "Yes, dear. The poor Dyaks were not sufficiently modernized to attackus with false testimony."

  His lordship's sallow face wrinkled somewhat. So Iris knew of thecourt-martial, nor was she afraid to proclaim to all the world thatthis man was her lover. As for Captain Fitzroy, his bushy eyebrowsdisappeared into his peaked cap when he heard the manner of theirspeech.

  Nevertheless Ventnor smiled again.

  "Even the Dyaks respected Miss Deane," he said.

  But Anstruther, sorry for the manifest uneasiness of the shipowner,repressed the retort on his lips, and forthwith suggested that theyshould walk to the north beach in the first instance, that being thescene of the wreck.

  During the next hour he became auditor rather than narrator. It wasIris who told of his wild fight against wind and waves, Iris who showedthem where he fought with the devil-fish, Iris who expatiated on thelong days of ceaseless toil, his dauntless courage in the face of everydifficulty, the way in which he rescued her from the clutch of thesavages, the skill of his preparations against the anticipated attack,and the last great achievement of all, when, time after time, he foiledthe Dyaks' best-laid plans, and flung them off, crippled anddisheartened, during the many phases of the thirty hours' battle.

  She had an attentive audience. Most of the _Orient's_ officersquietly came up and followed the girl's glowing recital with breathlessinterest. Robert vainly endeavored more than once to laugh away herthrilling eulogy. But she would have none of it. Her heart was in herwords. He deserved this tribute of praise, unstinted, unmeasured,abundant in its simple truth, yet sounding like a legend spun by someromantic poet, were not the grim evidences of its accuracy visible onevery hand.

  She was so volubly clear, so precise in fact, so subtle in her cleverdelineations of humorous or tragic events, that her father wasastounded, and even Anstruther silently admitted that a man might liveuntil he equaled the years of a Biblical patriarch without discoveringall the resources of a woman.

  There were tears in her eyes when she ended; but they were tears ofthankful happiness, and Lord Ventnor, a silent listener who missedneither word nor look, felt a deeper chill in his cold heart as herealized that this woman's love could never be his. The knowledgeexcited his passion the more. His hatred of Anstruther now became amania, an insensate resolve to mortally stab this meddler who alwaysstood in his path.

  Robert hoped that his present ordeal was over. It had only
begun. Hewas called on to answer questions without number. Why had the tunnelbeen made? What was the mystery of the Valley of Death? How did hemanage to guess the dimensions of the sun-dial? How came he to acquiresuch an amazing stock of out-of-the-way knowledge of the edibleproperties of roots and trees? How? Why? Where? When? They never wouldbe satisfied, for not even the British navypoking its nose into therecesses of the world--often comes across such an amazing story as theadventures of this couple on Rainbow Island.

  He readily explained the creation of quarry and cave by telling them ofthe vein of antimony embedded in the rock near the fault. Antimony isone of the substances that covers a multitude of doubts. No one, notexcepting the doctors who use it, knows much about it, and in Chinesemedicine it might be a chief factor of exceeding nastiness.

  Inside the cavern, the existence of the partially completed shaft tothe ledge accounted for recent disturbances on the face of the rock,and new-comers could not, of course, distinguish the bones of poor"J.S." as being the remains of a European.

  Anstruther was satisfied that none of them hazarded the remotest guessas to the value of the gaunt rock they were staring at, and chancehelped him to baffle further inquiry.

  A trumpeter on board the _Orient_ was blowing his lungs out tosummon them to luncheon, when Captain Fitzroy put a final query.

  "I can quite understand," he said to Robert, "that you have anaffection for this weird place."

  "I should think so indeed," muttered the stout midshipman, glancing atIris.

  "But I am curious to know," continued the commander, "why you lay claimto the island? You can hardly intend to return here."

  He pointed to Robert's placard stuck on the rock.

  Anstruther paused before he answered. He felt that Lord Ventnor's darkeyes were fixed on him. Everybody was more or less desirous to havethis point cleared up. He looked the questioner squarely in the face.

  "In some parts of the world," he said, "there are sunken reefs,unknown, uncharted, on which many a vessel has been lost without anycontributory fault on the part of her officers?"

  "Undoubtedly."

  "Well, Captain Fitzroy, when I was stationed with my regiment in HongKong I encountered such a reef, and wrecked my life on it. At least,that is how it seemed to me then. Fortune threw me ashore here, after along and bitter submergence. You can hardly blame me if I cling to thetiny speck of land that gave me salvation."

  "No," admitted the sailor. He knew there was something more in theallegory than the text revealed, but it was no business of his.

  "Moreover," continued Robert smilingly, "you see I have a partner."

  "There cannot be the slightest doubt about the partner," was the promptreply.

  Then every one laughed, Iris more than any, though Sir Arthur Deane'sgaiety was forced, and Lord Ventnor could taste the acidity of his ownsmile.

  Later in the day the first lieutenant told his chief of Anstruther'svoluntary statement concerning the court-martial. Captain Fitzroy wasnaturally pained by this unpleasant revelation, but he took exactly thesame view as that expressed by the first lieutenant in Robert'spresence.

  Nevertheless he pondered the matter, and seized an early opportunity ofmentioning it to Lord Ventnor. That distinguished nobleman was vastlysurprised to learn how Anstruther had cut the ground from beneath hisfeet.

  "Yes," he said, in reply to the sailor's request for information, "Iknow all about it. It could not well be otherwise, seeing that next toMrs. Costobell I was the principal witness against him."

  "That must have been d----d awkward for you," was the unexpectedcomment.

  "Indeed! Why?"

  "Because rumor linked your name with that of the lady in a somewhatoutspoken way."

  "You astonish me. Anstruther certainly made some stupid allegationsduring the trial; but I had no idea he was able to spread thismalicious report subsequently."

  "I am not talking of Hong Kong, my lord, but of Singapore, monthslater."

  Captain Fitzroy's tone was exceedingly dry. Indeed, some people mightdeem it offensive.

  His lordship permitted himself the rare luxury of an angry scowl.

  "Rumor is a lying jade at the best," he said curtly. "You mustremember, Captain Fitzroy, that I have uttered no word of scandal aboutMr. Anstruther, and any doubts concerning his conduct can be set atrest by perusing the records of his case in the Adjutant-General'soffice at Hong Kong."

  "Hum!" said the sailor, turning on his heel to enter the chart-room.This was no way to treat a real live lord, a personage of somepolitical importance, too, such as the Special Envoy to Wang Hai.Evidently, Iris was no mean advocate. She had already won for the"outcast" the suffrages of the entire ship's company.

  The girl and her father went back to the island with Robert. Aftertaking thought, the latter decided to ask Mir Jan to remain inpossession until he returned. There was not much risk of another Dyakinvasion. The fate of Taung S'Ali's expedition would not encourage afresh set of marauders, and the Mahommedan would be well armed to meetunforeseen contingencies, whilst on his, Anstruther's, representationsthe _Orient_ would land an abundance of stores. In any event, itwas better for the native to live in freedom on Rainbow Island than tobe handed over to the authorities as an escaped convict, which must behis immediate fate no matter what magnanimous view the Government ofIndia might afterwards take of his services.

  Mir Jan's answer was emphatic. He took off his turban and placed it onAnstruther's feet.

  "Sahib," he said, "I am your dog. If, some day, I am found worthy to beyour faithful servant, then shall I know that Allah has pardoned mytransgressions. I only killed a man because--"

  "Peace, Mir Jan. Let him rest."

  "Why is he worshiping you, Robert?" demanded Iris.

  He told her.

  "Really," she cried, "I must keep up my studies in Hindustani. It isquite too sweet."

  And then, for the benefit of her father, she rattled off into aspirited account of her struggles with the algebraic x and the Urducompound verb.

  Sir Arthur Deane managed to repress a sigh. In spite of himself hecould not help liking Anstruther. The man was magnetic, a hero, anideal gentleman. No wonder his daughter was infatuated with him. Yetthe future was dark and storm-tossed, full of sinister threats andcomplications. Iris did not know the wretched circumstances which hadcome to pass since they parted, and which had changed the whole aspectof his life. How could he tell her? Why should it be his miserable lotto snatch the cup of happiness from her lips? In that moment of silentagony he wished he were dead, for death alone could remove the burthenlaid on him. Well, surely he might bask in the sunshine of her laughterfor another day. No need to embitter her joyous heart until he wasdriven to it by dire necessity.

  So he resolutely brushed aside the woe-begone phantom of care, andentered into the _abandon_ of the hour with a zest that delightedher. The dear girl imagined that Robert, her Robert, had made anotherspeedy conquest, and Anstruther himself was much elated by the suddenchange in Sir Arthur Deane's demeanor.

  They behaved like school children on a picnic. They roared over Iris'stroubles in the matter of divided skirts, too much divided to be at allpleasant. The shipowner tasted some of her sago bread, and vowed it wasexcellent. They unearthed two bottles of champagne, the last of thecase, and promised each other a hearty toast at dinner. Nothing wouldcontent Iris but that they should draw a farewell bucketful of waterfrom the well and drench the pitcher-plant with a torrential shower.

  Robert carefully secured the pocket-books, money and other effectsfound on their dead companions. The baronet, of course, knew all theprincipal officers of the _Sirdar_. He surveyed these mournfulrelics with sorrowful interest.

  "The _Sirdar_ was the crack ship of my fleet, and Captain Ross mymost trusted commander," he said. "You may well imagine, Mr.Anstruther, what a cruel blow it was to lose such a vessel, with allthese people on board, and my only daughter amongst them. I wonder nowthat it did not kill me."

  "She was a splendid sea-boat,
sir. Although disabled, she foughtgallantly against the typhoon. Nothing short of a reef would break herup."

  "Ah, well," sighed the shipowner, "the few timbers you have shown mehere are the remaining assets out of L300,000."

  "Was she not insured?" inquired Robert.

  "No; that is, I have recently adopted a scheme of mutualself-insurance, and the loss falls _pro rata_ on my othervessels."

  The baronet glanced covertly at Iris. The words conveyed little meaningto her. Indeed, she broke in with a laugh--

  "I am afraid I have heard you say, father dear, that some ships in thefleet paid you best when they ran ashore."

  "Yes, Iris. That often happened in the old days. It is different now.Moreover, I have not told you the extent of my calamities. The_Sirdar_ was lost on March 18, though I did not know it forcertain until this morning. But on March 25 the _Bahadur_ was sunkin the Mersey during a fog, and three days later the _Jemadar_turned turtle on the James and Mary shoal in the Hooghly. Happily therewere no lives lost in either of these cases."

  Even Iris was appalled by this list of casualties.

  "My poor, dear dad!" she cried. "To think that all these troublesshould occur the very moment I left you!"

  Yet she gave no thought to the serious financial effect of such astring of catastrophes. Robert, of course, appreciated this side of thebusiness, especially in view of the shipowner's remark about theinsurance. But Sir Arthur Deane's stiff upper lip deceived him. Hefailed to realize that the father was acting a part for his daughter'ssake.

  Oddly enough, the baronet did not seek to discuss with them thelegal-looking document affixed near the cave. It claimed all rights inthe island in their joint names, and this was a topic he wished toavoid. For the time, therefore, the younger man had no opportunity oftaking him into his confidence, and Iris held faithfully to her promiseof silence.

  The girl's ragged raiment, sou'wester, and strong boots were alreadypacked away on board. She now rescued the Bible, the copy of Tennyson'spoems, the battered tin cup, her revolver, and the Lee-Metford which"scared" the Dyaks when they nearly caught Anstruther and Mir Jannapping. Robert also gathered for her an assortment of Dyak hats,belts, and arms, including Taung S'Ali's parang and a sumpitan. Thesewere her trophies, the _spolia opima_ of the campaign.

  His concluding act was to pack two of the empty oil tins with all thevaluable lumps of auriferous quartz he could find where he shot therubbish from the cave beneath the trees. On top of these he placed someantimony ore, and Mir Jan, wondering why the sahib wanted the stuff,carried the consignment to the waiting boat. Lieutenant Playdon, incommand of the last party of sailors to quit the island, evidentlyexpected Mir Jan to accompany them, but Anstruther explained that theman would await his return, some time in June or July.

  Sir Arthur Deane found himself speculating on the cause of thisextraordinary resolve, but, steadfast to his policy of avoidingcontroversial matters, said nothing. A few words to the captainprocured enough stores to keep the Mahommedan for six months at least,and whilst these were being landed, the question was raised how best todispose of the Dyaks.

  The commander wished to consult the convenience of his guests.

  "If we go a little out of our way and land them in Borneo," he said,"they will be hanged without troubling you further. If I take them toSingapore they will be tried on your evidence and sent to penalservitude. Which is it to be?"

  It was Iris who decided.

  "I cannot bear to think of more lives being sacrificed," she protested."Perhaps if these men are treated mercifully and sent to their homesafter some punishment their example may serve as a deterrent toothers."

  So it was settled that way. The anchor rattled up to its berth and the_Orient_ turned her head towards Singapore. As she steadily passedaway into the deepening azure, the girl and her lover watched thefamiliar outlines of Rainbow Island growing dim in the evening light.For a long while they could see Mir Jan's tall, thin figure motionlesson a rock at the extremity of Europa Point. Their hut, the reef, theledge, came into view as the cruiser swung round to a more northerlycourse.

  Iris had thrown an arm across her father's shoulders. The three wereleft alone just then, and they were silent for many minutes. At last,the flying miles merged the solitary palm beyond the lagoon with thefoliage on the cliff. The wide cleft of Prospect Park grew lessdistinct. Mir Jan's white-clothed figure was lost in the darkbackground. The island was becoming vague, dream-like, a blurredmemory.

  "Robert," said the girl devoutly, "God has been very good to us."

  "Yes," he replied. "I was thinking, even this instant, of the versethat is carved on the gate of the Memorial Well at Cawnpore: 'These arethey which came out of great tribulation.' We, too, have come out ofgreat tribulation, happily with our lives--and more. The decrees offate are indeed inscrutable."

  Iris turned to him a face roseate with loving comprehension.

  "Do you remember this hour yesterday?" she murmured--"how we sufferedfrom thirst--how the Dyaks began their second attack from theridge--how you climbed down the ladder and I followed you? Oh father,darling," she went on impulsively, tightening her grasp, "you willnever know how brave he was, how enduring, how he risked all for me andcheered me to the end, even though the end seemed to be the grave."

  "I think I am beginning to understand now," answered the shipowner,averting his eyes lest Iris should see the tears in them. Their Calvarywas ended, they thought--was it for him to lead them again through thesorrowful way? It was a heartrending task that lay before him, a taskfrom which his soul revolted. He refused even to attempt it. He soughtforgetfulness in a species of mental intoxication, and countenanced hisdaughter's love idyll with such apparent approval that Lord Ventnorwondered whether Sir Arthur were not suffering from senile decay.

  The explanation of the shipowner's position was painfully simple. Beinga daring yet shrewd financier, he perceived in the troubled conditionof the Far East a magnificent opportunity to consolidate the tradinginfluence of his company. He negotiated two big loans, one, of asemi-private nature, to equip docks and railways in the chief maritimeprovince of China, the other of a more public character, with theGovernment of Japan. All his own resources, together with those of hisprincipal directors and shareholders, were devoted to these objects.Contemporaneously, he determined to stop paying heavy insurancepremiums on his fleet and make it self-supporting, on the well-knownmutual principle.

  His vessels were well equipped, well manned, replete with every modernimprovement, and managed with great commercial skill. In three or fouryears, given ordinary trading luck, he must have doubled his ownfortune and earned a world-wide reputation for far-seeing sagacity.

  No sooner were all his arrangements completed than three of his bestships went down, saddling his company with an absolute loss of nearlyL600,000, and seriously undermining his financial credit. Afellow-director, wealthy and influential, resigned his seat on theboard, and headed a clique of disappointed stockholders. At once thefair sky became overcast. A sound and magnificent speculationthreatened to dissolve in the Bankruptcy Court.

  Sir Arthur Deane's energy and financial skill might have enabled him toweather this unexpected gale were it not for the apparent loss of hisbeloved daughter with the crack ship of his line. Half-frenzied withgrief, he bade his enemies do their worst, and allowed his affairs toget into hopeless confusion whilst he devoted himself wholly to thesearch for Iris and her companions. At this critical juncture LordVentnor again reached his side. His lordship possessed a large privatefortune and extensive estates. He was prudent withal, and knew howadmirably the shipowner's plans would develop if given the necessarytime. He offered the use of his name and money. He more than filled thegap created by the hostile ex-director. People argued that such aclever man, just returning from the Far East after accomplishing apublic mission of some importance, must be a reliable guide. The merecabled intelligence of his intention to join the board restoredconfidence and credit.

  But--there was a bargain.
If Iris lived, she must become the Countessof Ventnor. His lordship was weary of peripatetic love-making. It washigh time he settled down in life, took an interest in the legislature,and achieved a position in the world of affairs. He had a chance now.The certain success of his friend's project, the fortunate completionof his own diplomatic undertaking, marriage with a beautiful andcharming woman--these items would consolidate his career. If Iris werenot available, plenty of women, high-placed in society, would acceptsuch an eligible bachelor. But his heart was set on Iris. She washonest, high-principled, pure in body and mind, and none prizes theseessentials in a wife more than a worn-out _roue_.

  He seized the first opportunity that presented itself to make SirArthur Deane acquainted with a decision already dreaded by theunfortunate shipowner. Iris must either abandon her infatuation forAnstruther or bring about the ruin of her father. There was no mean.

  "If she declines to become Countess of Ventnor, she can marry whom shelikes, as you will be all paupers together," was the Earl's causticsumming up.

  This brutal argument rather overshot the mark. The shipowner's faceflushed with anger, and Lord Ventnor hastened to retrieve a false step.

  "I didn't exactly mean to put it that way, Deane, but my temper is alittle short these days. My position on board this ship is intolerable.As a matter of fair dealing to me, you should put a stop to yourdaughter's attitude towards Anstruther, on the ground that herengagement is neither approved of by you nor desirable under anyconsideration."

  It may be assumed from this remark that even the Earl's sardonic temperwas ruffled by the girl's outrageous behavior. Nor was it exactlypleasant to him to note how steadily Anstruther advanced in the favorof every officer on the ship. By tacit consent the court-martial wastabooed, at any rate until the _Orient_ reached Singapore. Everyone knew that the quarrel lay between Robert and Ventnor, and it is notto be wondered at if Iris's influence alone were sufficient to turn thescale in favor of her lover.

  The shipowner refused point-blank to interfere in any way during thevoyage.

  "You promised your co-operation in business even if we found that the_Sirdar_ had gone down with all hands," he retorted bitterly. "Doyou wish me to make my daughter believe she has come back into my lifeonly to bring me irretrievable ruin?"

  "That appears to be the result, no matter how you may endeavor todisguise it."

  "I thought the days were gone when a man would wish to marry a womanagainst her will."

  "Nonsense! What does she know about it? The glamour of this islandromance will soon wear off. It would be different if Anstruther wereable to maintain her even decently. He is an absolute beggar, I tellyou. Didn't he ship on your own vessel as a steward? Take my tip,Deane. Tell him how matters stand with you, and he will cool off."

  He believed nothing of the sort, but he was desperately anxious thatIris should learn the truth as to her father's dilemma from other lipsthan his own. This would be the first point gained. Others wouldfollow.

  The two men were conversing in the Earl's cabin. On the deck overhead avery different chat was taking place.

  The _Orient_ was due in Singapore that afternoon. Iris was invitedinto the chart-room on some pretext, and Lieutenant Playdon, delegatedby the commander and the first lieutenant, buttonholed Robert.

  With sailor-like directness he came straight to the point--

  "A few of us have been talking about you, Anstruther, and we cannot befar wrong in assuming that you are hard up. The fact that you took asteward's job on the _Sirdar_ shows your disinclination to appealto your own people for funds. Now, once you are ashore, you will belanded in difficulties. To cut any further explanations, I amcommissioned to offer you a loan of fifty pounds, which you can repaywhen you like."

  Robert's mouth tightened somewhat. For the moment he could not findwords. Playdon feared he was offended.

  "I am sorry, old chap, if we are mistaken," he said hesitatingly; "butwe really thought--"

  "Please do not endeavor to explain away your generous act," exclaimedAnstruther. "I accept it thankfully, on one condition."

  "Blow the condition. But what is it?"

  "That you tell me the names of those to whom I am indebted besidesyourself."

  "Oh, that is easy enough. Fitzroy and the first luff are the others. Wekept it to a small circle, don't you know. Thought you would preferthat."

  Anstruther smiled and wrung his hand. There were some good fellows leftin the world after all. The three officers acted in pure good nature.They were assisting a man apparently down in his luck, who would soonbe called on to face other difficulties by reason of his engagement toa girl apparently so far removed from him in station. And the lastthing they dreamed of was that their kindly loan was destined to yieldthem a better return than all the years of their naval service, fortheir fifty pounds had gone into the pocket of a potential millionaire,who was endowed with the faculty, rare in millionaires, of notforgetting the friends of his poverty-stricken days.