is face. His
arm slipped from her shoulder to her waist and contracted suddenly.

"What is the matter, Hugh?" she whispered, looking quickly about as if
expecting a calamity.

"Is any one in sight?" he demanded anxiously.

"I don't see a soul," she answered.

"Then I'm going to give up the brother act for a moment or two. This is
a good, sequestered spot, and I'm going to kiss you." And he did so more
than once. "That's the first chance I've had to kiss you since we came
aboard. What an outrage it is that brothers cannot be more attentive to
their own sisters than to other men's sisters."

"It seems to be customary for brothers to neglect their sisters," she
suggested demurely.

"A brother who neglects his sister ought to be horsewhipped," declared
he.

"Amen to that. They use the cat-o'-nine-tails on board ship, you must
remember," she said, smiling.

Shortly afterward he dropped in to see Veath and was welcomed gladly. He
was lying in his berth, and Hugh sent for a bottle of his champagne. Two
glasses of the wine put new life into him and something of a sparkle
flew to his dull eyes, as if cast there by the bubbling liquor. His
tongue loosened a little, Hugh finding him to be a bright, sensible
fellow, somewhat ignorant of the ways of the world, but entirely capable
of taking care of himself. Moreover, with the renewed vigor displaying
itself, he was far better looking than his new acquaintance had thought.
His blue eyes, keen and clear, appealed to Hugh's love for
straightforwardness; his wide mouth bespoke firmness, good nature, and
the full ability to enjoy the humorous side of things. The lines about
his clean-cut, beardless face were a trifle deep, and there was a
network of those tiny wrinkles which belong to men of forty-five and not
to those of twenty-eight.

Evidently his had not been a life of leisure. As he lounged easily upon
the edge of the berth, Hugh could not but admire his long, straight
figure, the broad shoulders and the pale face with its tense
earnestness.

"Manila, you know, is an important post these days," said Veath.
"There's a lot of work to be done there in the next few years. I'm from
Indiana. Every able-bodied man in our district who voted right and
hasn't anything else to do wants a government job. Of course, most of
them want to be consul-generals, postmasters, or heads of bureaus, but
there are some of us who will take the best thing that is offered.
That's why I am going