tains with equal fluency; and though he would appear to be the
possessor of considerable wealth, he never makes the least parade of
it. In fact, his one and only idea in life would seem to be always
irreproachably dressed and groomed, never to speak unless spoken to,
and at all times to act as if he took no sort of interest whatever in
any person or thing save that upon which he happened to be engaged at
the moment. When necessity demands it he can be exceedingly amusing;
he never allows himself to be seen with a man or woman who would be
likely to cause him the least loss of prestige; he gives charming
little dinners _a la fourchette_ at his rooms in town twice or thrice
during the season, and is rumoured to be the author, under a _nom de
plume_, of one of the best works on Continental politics that has seen
the light since Talleyrand's day. So much for Felix Maas.

At one time or another there have been a number of exquisite yachts
built to satisfy the extravagances of millionaires, but never one so
perfect in every detail, and so replete with every luxury, as Browne's
_Lotus Blossom_. The state-rooms were large and airy; beds occupied
the places of the usual uncomfortable bunks; the dining-saloon was
situated amidships, where the vibration of the screw was least felt;
the drawing-room was arranged aft; and a dainty boudoir for the ladies
extended across the whole width of the counter. The smoking-room was
in a convenient position under the bridge, and the bathrooms, four in
number, were luxury and completeness itself. Add to the other
advantages the presence of Felicien, that prince of _chefs_, and little
Georges, once so intimately connected with the English Embassy in
Paris, and it is unnecessary to say more.

Browne himself was an excellent host; and by the time the Norwegian
coast had been sighted the party had settled down comfortably on board.
They visited Christiania, the Bukn, Hardanger, and Sogne, and
eventually found themselves at anchor in the harbour of Merok, on the
Gieranger Fjord. It is in this lovely bay, overshadowed by its
precipitous mountains, that my story may be properly said to commence.

It is sometimes asserted by a class of people who talk of the Eiffel
Tower as if it were a bit of natural scenery, and of the Matterhorn as
though it were placed in its present position simply for the
entertainment of Cook's tourists, that when you have seen one Norwegian
fjord you have seen them all.