orrow. We can take a walk this
afternoon."

"And come back to dinner and go to the theatre?" added John.

The New Palace came in view about two, and then Akershuus Castle, and
the yacht was put in her berth by the pilot.

Mrs. Hardy declined to go ashore, as she said she should be too
fatigued to go to the theatre, and John had a walk with his princess.
He tried to inveigle her into saying that she wanted something, that
he might get it for her; but his sly ways were detected.

At the theatre a French Vaudeville was acted, which John thought his
mother was greatly tired of and would have left, but Helga's interest
at being in a foreign theatre, and seeing so many strange faces, was
so apparent that Mrs. Hardy would not leave. The night when they came
out of the theatre was beautiful, and John, at his mother's wish,
steered the yacht's gig a little out of the harbour before they joined
the yacht.

The next day was Helga's birthday, her twenty-first, and at eight
o'clock, Norsk time, the yacht was dressed with bunting.

Before Helga had finished dressing, Mrs. Hardy's maid came into her
state-room, with a small packet, containing a handsome turquoise ring
from Mrs. Hardy, and a leather case from John Hardy, with the initials
"H. H." There was a slight blush on her cheek as she remarked this.
Her name was to be Helga Hardy.

"Mr. Hardy has directed me to show you the contents of the
dressing-case, as you may not understand how to open the secret
drawer," said Mrs. Hardy's maid. "This is a little gold key, and opens
the dressing-case; there is scent, tooth-powder, and soap, and the
whole is ready for use. And this is the way the jewel drawer opens;
you press this knob, and it flies open, and is filled with the
jewellery Mr. Hardy thought you might like. When you wish to shut the
drawer, you push it so, and it closes with a spring."

Mrs. Hardy's maid opened the jewel drawer again, and left it for Helga
to examine its contents. The initials were engraved as a monogram on
different articles, even the ivory brushes had them. Mrs. Hardy had
told her that light blue suited her, and there was a turquoise
bracelet in good taste, and several rings, some of which did not fit
her, as John Hardy when he bought her betrothal ring in Copenhagen had
not been able to get them altered, as his stay in Copenhagen was
short. Her first impulse was to decline such a costly present, next
she thought, "He cannot have told his mother." T