jumped out: a tall man with a very fair moustache and
close-cropped fair hair alighted after Merivale and was introduced and
shook hands and made several jokes and was on terms of equality before
he and Merivale and Michael had got into the blue-lined fly that was to
drive them to Captain Ross's hotel. During the few days of Captain
Ross's stay, he and Michael and Merivale and Miss Carthew went sailing
and climbed up Beachy Head and watched a cricket match in Devonshire
Park and generally behaved like all the other summer visitors to
Eastbourne. Michael noticed that Captain Ross was very polite to Miss
Carthew and heard with interest that they both had many friends in
common--soldiers and sailors and Royal Marines. Michael listened to a
great deal of talk about 'when I was quartered there' and 'when he was
stationed at Malta' and about Gunners and Sappers and the Service. He
himself spoke of General Mace and was greatly flattered when Captain
Ross said he knew him by reputation as a fine old soldier. Michael was
rather disappointed that Captain Ross was not in the Bengal Lancers, but
he concluded that next to being in the Bengal Lancers, it was best to be
with him in the Kintail Highlanders (the Duke of Clarence's own
Inverness-shire Buffs).

"Uncle Ken looks jolly ripping in a kilt," Merivale informed Miss
Carthew, when on the last evening of Captain Ross's stay they were all
sitting in the rubied light of the hotel table.

"Shut up, showman," said Captain Ross, banging his nephew on the head
with a Viennese roll.

"Oh, I say, Uncle Kenneth, that loaf hurts most awfully," protested
Merivale.

"Well, don't play Barnum," said the Captain as he twirled his little
moustache. "It's not done, my lad."

When Captain Ross went away next morning, Miss Carthew at his earnest
invitation accompanied the boys to see him off, and, as they walked out
of the station, Merivale nudged Michael to whisper:

"I say, I believe my uncle's rather gone on Miss Carthew."

"Rot," said Michael. "Why, she'd be most frightfully annoyed. Besides,
chaps' uncles don't get gone on----" Michael was going to add 'chaps'
sisters' governesses,' but somehow he felt the remark was all wrong, and
blushed the conclusion of the sentence.

The weather grew very hot, and Miss Carthew took to sitting in a canvas
chair and reading books on the beach, so that Michael and Merivale were
left free to do very much as they wanted which, as Michael pointed out,