ose quickly and overtook
her. She stopped and turned, and if he had expected to see signs of
emotion in her beautiful face, he was doomed to disappointment; indeed,
the look of apprehension with which she heard his voice had been
followed by one of relief.

"One moment," he said. "I want to ask you not to mention that you have
seen me here."

She opened her soft hazel eyes with some surprise and a great deal of
curiosity.

"Not say that I have seen you?" she said. "Of course, if you wish it;
but why?"

"The reason will seem to you inadequate, I am afraid," he said coldly;
"but the fact is, I am staying here under another name--my own is being
bandied about so much, you see," bitterly, "that I am a little tired of
it."

"I see," she said. "Then I am not to tell father. How will he know how
to address the wire about the yacht?"

"Send it to Sparling," he said. "I am sorry to have stopped you.
Good-by."

She inclined her head and murmured "Good-by" for the second time, and
went on again; but a few steps lower she stopped and pondered his
strange request.

"Curious," she murmured. "I wonder whether there is any other reason?
One knows what men are; and poor Drake is no better than the rest. Ah,
well, it does not matter to me--now. Thank goodness it is over! Though
one can always count upon Drake; he is too thorough a gentleman to make
a scene or bully a woman. Heaven knows I am sorry to break with him, and
I wish that old stupid hadn't made such a fool of himself; for Drake and
I would have got on very well. But as things are----As father says, it's
impossible. I wonder whether they are coming back; I am simply dying for
tea."

Before she got down to the jetty, her fellow voyagers caught her up.
They were in the best of spirits, and hilarious over the fact that Sir
Archie had slipped on one of the grassy slopes and stained his white
flannel suit with green; and Lady Lucille joined in the merriment.

"I'm sorry I didn't come, after all," she said. "It was rather boring
waiting there all alone; but perhaps Sir Archie will kindly fall down
again for my special benefit," and she laughed with the innocent,
careless laughter, of a child.

CHAPTER VII.

The laugh floated up to Drake as he sat and finished his pipe, waiting
until the party should get clear away, and his lips tightened grimly.
Then he sighed and shrugged his shoulders, as he rose and went slowly up
the hill.

After all, Lucille had only a