e looked at her shrewdly. "You've got an attack of nerves," he observed.

She still sought to smile--though the attempt was a poor one. "To be
quite honest--I am rather frightened."

"Frightened!" He pushed a sudden arm around her, looking comical and
tender in the same moment. "And so you sent for me! Then it's Ho for
the _Night Moth_, and when shall we start?"

She gave him a small push as half-hearted as her laugh had been. "Don't
talk rubbish, please, Charles--if you don't mind! I don't see myself
going on the _Night Moth_ with the sea like that; do you?"

"Depends," he said quizzically. "You might be persuaded if the devil
were behind you."

"What! In your company!" Her laugh was more normal this time; she gave
his arm a kindly touch and put it from her.

"But I'm as meek as a lamb," protested Saltash.

She met his look with friendly eyes. "Yes, I know--a lamb in wolf's
clothing--rather a frisky lamb, Charles, but comparatively harmless. If I
hadn't realized that--I shouldn't have asked you to come."

"I like your qualification," he said. "With whom do I compare thus
favourably? The redoubtable Dick?"

The colour came swiftly into her face and he laughed, derisively but
not unkindly.

"It's a new thing for me--this sort of job. Are you sure my lamb-like
qualities will carry me through? Do you know, dear, I've never seen you
look so amazing sweet in all my life before? I never knew you could bloom
like this. It's positively dangerous."

He regarded her critically, his head on one side, an ardour half-mocking,
half-genuine, in his eyes.

Juliet uttered a sigh. "I feel a careworn old hag," she said. "My own
fault of course. Things are in a nice muddle, and I don't know which
way to turn."

"One slip from the path of rectitude!" mocked Saltash. "Alas, how fatal
this may prove!"

She looked away from him. "Do you always jeer at your friends when they
are in trouble?" she said somewhat wearily.

"Always," said Saltash promptly. "It helps 'em to find their feet--like
lighting the fire when the chimney-sweep's boy got stuck in the chimney.
It's a priceless remedy, my _Juliette_. Nothing like it."

"I shall begin to hate you directly," remarked Juliet with her
wan smile.

He laughed, not without complacence. "Do you good to try. You won't
succeed. No one ever does. I gather the main trouble is that Dick has
gone to town when you didn't want him to. Husbands are like that
sometimes, you know. Are you af