hat additional warmth might be
good for her; but the smell of the garment brought on a violent spasm,
and he was obliged to take it away from her shoulders.

In the evening, after Miss King and Mr. Simpkins had been sent home on
a car, Meldon reviewed the day's proceedings.

"As a pleasure party," he said, "it wasn't exactly a success; but then
we didn't go out for pleasure. Considered as a step in advance towards
the marriage of Miss King and the death of Simpkins, it hasn't turned
out all we hoped. Still I think something is accomplished. Miss King
must, I think, have felt some pity for Simpkins when she saw me
dragging him into the cabin by his leg, and we all know that pity is
akin to--"

"If she thinks of him in that sort of way," said the Major, "she won't
kill him."

"I've told you before," said Meldon--"in fact, I'm tired telling
you--that she hasn't got to kill him until after she's married him.
You don't surely want her to be guilty of one of those cold-blooded,
loveless marriages which are the curse of modern society and end in the
divorce court. She ought to have some feeling of affection for him
before she marries him, and I think it is probably aroused in her now.
No woman could possibly see a man treated as I treated Simpkins this
afternoon without feeling a little sorry for him. I bumped his head in
the most frightful manner when I was dragging him down. No; I think
it's all right now as far as Miss King is concerned. I'll go in and
see Simpkins to-morrow and spur him on a bit. I'll tell him--"

"Some lie or other--" said the Major.

"Only for his own good," said Meldon. "I saw quite plainly on Sunday
that he wanted to marry Miss King, and whatever I say to-morrow will be
calculated to help and encourage him. You can't call that kind of
thing telling lies. It's exactly the same in principle as why a good
doctor tries to cheer up a patient by saying that he'll be perfectly
well in the inside of a week after a trifling operation. Everybody
admits that that's perfectly right, and nobody but a fool would call it
a lie."

CHAPTER XII.

Meldon was even more energetic than usual on the morning after the
boating picnic. By getting up very early indeed he was able to shoot
four rabbits, members of a large family which lived by destroying Major
Kent's lettuces. He also bagged two wood-pigeons which had flown all
the way from the Ballymoy House trees for the purpose of gorging
themsel