ut and confronted Mrs Bosenna as she stepped
forth from her hiding in the bushes, her maid Dinah in attendance close
behind her.

"Good afternoon again, Captain Hocken! And is this Captain Hunken?
. . . It was polite of you--polite indeed--to bring him so soon."

She held out a hand to Tobias, who, to take it, was forced to relinquish
for a moment his clutch on the rail.

"Servant, ma'am," said he in a gruff unnatural voice, and fell back on
his support.

She laughed again merrily. "And you'll forgive me for making you
welcome with musical honours? That was a sudden notion of Dinah's.
She spied you coming up the road, and--Dinah, can you manage to stop
that silly tune?"

"I'll try, mistress." Dinah stooped, groped amid the grasses, and
produced the musical box from its lair.

"You can," stammered Captain Cai, as if repeating a formula, "turn it
off--at any time--by means of a back-handed switch."

"It's yours, then!" Mrs Bosenna clapped her hands together as she turned
on him.

"It's mine," confessed Captain Cai. "The question might occur to you,
ma'am--"

"It has. Oh, it _has!_" She rippled with laughter. "You should have
seen Dinah's face when she came upon it!"

"Caius," said Captain Hunken, interrupting her mirth as with a stroke
tolled on a bell, "would ye mind pinching me?"

"Not at all, 'Bias--if you'll tell me where."

"Anywheres. Only rememberin' we're in the presence o' ladies."

"It's _perfectly_ simple," said Captain Cai, "if you'll only let me
explain! You see, the thing's what you might call a testimonial.
I picked it up, comin' through the town to-day."

"A testimonial? How interesting!" murmured Mrs Bosenna.

"From my late crew, ma'am. As I was sayin', on my way through the town
to call on you, ma'am, I was taken on the hop, so to speak, an' made the
recipient--"

"What for?" demanded 'Bias. He was breathing hard.

"It don't become me," said Captain Cai, and, speaking under stress of
desperation, he found himself of a sudden wondering at his own fluency.
"It don't become me to repeat all the--sentiments which, er, emanated."

"Give me some," growled Captain Tobias, and was heard to add, under
stertorous breath--"Testimonial? I'd like to ha' seen _my_ lot try it
on _me!_"

"They said," confessed Captain Cai, "as how it was their united wish--"
Here he recalled Mr Tregaskis' allusion to possible offspring, and
blushed painfully.

"Well?"

"That was the words: as h