d I'll explain. First of all, I
want you to meet Mr. Bradbury of the United States Navy. He came to test
the Prescott aeroplanes. Mr. Bradbury, this is Miss Bancroft, and her
brother----"

"Jimsy," put in that irrepressible youth. "Glad to meet you, sir. Almost
as much at sea here as in mid-Atlantic."

Laughing, they all entered the farm-house kitchen, while Peggy hastily
explained the state of affairs there.

"Well, so long as they don't put in an appearance before we get dry, I'm
sure I don't care," said Jimsy airily. "What a delightful old kitchen. It
might have come out of a picture book."

He and the naval officer were soon deep in conversation, leaving Peggy and
Jess alone.

"My dear Peggy," exclaimed Jess, with a smile that showed all her white
even teeth, "what will you do next? Don't you think it's a
bit--er--er--unconventional for one of the foremost members of Sandy
Beach's younger set to be flying about the country with a good-looking
young naval officer?"

"Nonsense," retorted Peggy sharply, "as the only representative of the
Prescott aeroplanes on the ground, I had to do it. If it hadn't been for
this old storm, I'd have been home long ago."

"So should we. What a coincidence we should have met here. Is
this--this----"

"Lieutenant," prompted Peggy.

"Is this lieutenant going to stay long in Sandy Beach?"

"Dear me, no. He is only on a flying visit--no pun intended. He was to
have taken in the establishment of the Mortlake Aeroplane Company this
afternoon. You know, they are in that red, barn-like place, down the road
from our place, although Roy and I only found it out to-day."

"That was one of the things I wanted to talk to you about, Peggy dear,"
said Jess, sinking into an old-fashioned Andrew Jackson chair by the
hearth. "Dad said at dinner last night that he had heard in New York that
a lot of their stock had been floated on Wall Street, and that that
hateful old Mr. Harding was back of it."

"They are actually selling stock?" asked Peggy, growing a bit pale.

"Yes. They have half-page advertisements in a lot of papers, I believe.
Dad said so. But why do you look so distressed, Peggy?"

"Because they must be very sure of the merits of their machines, if they
are going ahead so confidently."

"Rumor has it that their make of aeroplane is the most up-to-date and
complete yet constructed, but nobody knows the details so far. They have
kept that part of it close."

"They are making a