tt," he said, involuntarily.

He stood looking at the girl, and trying in vain to think of something
to say. Miss Hartley, with somewhat more colour than usual, gave him a
little bow and hurried off.

CHAPTER V

SMILING despite herself as she thought over the events of the afternoon,
Joan Hartley walked thoughtfully homeward. Indignation at Mr. Vyner's
presumption was mingled with regret that a young man of undeniably good
looks and somewhat engaging manners should stoop to deceit. The fact
that people are considered innocent until proved guilty did not concern
her. With scarcely any hesitation she summed up against him, the only
thing that troubled her being what sentence to inflict, and how to
inflict it. She wondered what excuse he could make for such behaviour,
and then blushed hotly as she thought of the one he would probably
advance. Confused at her own thoughts, she quickened her pace, in happy
ignorance of the fact that fifty yards behind her Captain Trimblett and
her father, who had witnessed with great surprise her leave-taking of
Mr. Vyner, were regulating their pace by hers.

[Illustration: Were regulating their pace by hers 048]

"She's a fine girl," said the captain, after a silence that had endured
long enough to be almost embarrassing. "A fine girl, but--"

He broke off, and completed his sentence by a shake of the head.

"She must have come for me," said Hartley, "and he happened to be
standing there and told her I had gone."

"No doubt," said the captain, dryly. "That's why she went scurrying off
as though she had got a train to catch, and he stood there all that
time looking after her. And, besides, every time he sees me, in some odd
fashion your name crops up."

"My name?" said the other, in surprise.

"Your name," repeated the captain, firmly, "Same as Joan's, ain't it?
The after-part of it, anyway. That's the attraction. Talk all round
you--and I talk all round you, too. Nobody'd dream you'd got a daughter
to hear the two of us talk--sometimes. Other times, if I bring her name
in, they'd think you'd got nothing else."

Mr. Hartley glanced at him uneasily. "Perhaps--" he began.

"There's no 'perhaps' about it," said the masterful captain. "If you're
not very careful there'll be trouble. You know what Mr. John is--he's
got big ideas, and the youngster is as obstinate as a mule."

"It's all very well," said Hartley, "but how can I be careful? What can
I do? Besides, I dare say you