r," Frank said, taking her hand. "I love
you more for speaking as you have. I can hardly believe my
happiness. Can it be that you really love me, Bertha?"

"I think I have proved it, Frank. I do love you. I have known it
for some time, but it seemed all too late. It was a grief rather
than a pleasure. Every time you came it was a pain to me, for I
felt that I had lost you; and it was only when I learned, two days
ago, how you could forgive, and that at the same time I could free
myself from the chain I had allowed to be wound round me, and which
I don't think I could otherwise have broken, that I made up my mind
that it should not be my fault if things were not put right between
us.

"Now let us tell mother."

Her hand was still in his, and they went across the deck together.

"Mamma," she said, "please put down that book. I have a piece of
news for you. Frank and I are going to be married."

Lady Greendale sat for a moment, speechless in astonishment. She
knew that Bertha had wished to tell him that she had refused
Carthew's offer, but that this would come of it she had never
dreamt. A year before she had approved of Bertha's rejection of
Frank, but since then much had happened. Bertha had shown that she
would not marry for position only, and that she would be likely to
take her own way entirely in the matter; and, although this was a
downfall to the hopes that she had once entertained, Lady Greendale
was herself very fond of Frank, and it was at any rate better than
having Bertha marry a man of whose real means she was ignorant, and
who, as everyone knew, bet heavily on the turf. These ideas flashed
rapidly through her mind, and holding out one hand to each, she
said:

"There is no one to whom I could more confidently entrust her
happiness, Frank. God bless you both."

Then she betook herself to her pocket handkerchief, for her tears
came easily, and on this occasion she herself could hardly have
said whether they were the result of pleasure in Bertha's
happiness, or regret at the downfall of the air castles she had
once built.

"I think, Bertha, our best plan will be to go below now," Frank
suggested, quietly.

"What for?" Bertha asked, shyly.

The thing had been done. She felt radiantly happy, but more shocked
at her own boldness than she had been when she perpetrated it.

"Well, my dear, I thought that perhaps you would rather not kiss me
in sight of the whole crew, and certainly I shan't be able to