ng something like that. The last time we
had visitors he--"

"Kept on eating the cake after she had shaken her head at me,"
interrupted the captain, who was busy picking up the provisions.

"Nothing of the kind," cried Mrs. Chinnery, who was in no mood for
frivolity. "I shouldn't think of doing such a thing," she added,
turning to Mrs. Willett, as the lady allowed herself to be placed in a
more convenient position. "It's all Captain Trimblett's nonsense."

Mrs. Willett listened politely, "It _is_ annoying, though," she
remarked.

"He might eat all the cake in the house for what I care," said Mrs.
Chinnery, turning very red, and raising her voice a little.

"As a matter of fact I don't like cake," said the captain, who was
becoming uncomfortable.

"Perhaps it was something else," said the excellent Mrs. Willett, with
the air of one assisting to unravel a mystery.

Mrs. Chinnery, who was pouring out tea, glared at her in silence. She
also spared a glance for Captain Trimblett, which made that gentleman
seriously uneasy. With an idea of turning the conversation into safer
and more agreeable channels, he called the old lady's attention to a
pencil drawing of a ruined castle which adorned the opposite wall. Mrs.
Willett's first remark was that it had no roof.

"It's a ruin," said the captain; "done by Mrs. Chinnery."

The faded blue eyes behind the gold-rimmed spectacles inspected it
carefully. "Done when she was a child--of course?" said Mrs. Willett.

"Eighteen," said Mrs. Chinnery, in a deep voice.

"I'm no judge of such things," said the old lady, shaking her head. "I
only know what I like; but I dare say it's very clever."

She turned to help herself from a plate that the captain was offering
her, and, finding that it contained cake, said that she would prefer
bread and butter.

"Not that I don't like cake," she said. "As a rule I am rather partial
to it."

"Well, have some now," said the unfortunate captain, trying to avoid
Mrs. Chinnery's eye.

"Bread and butter, please," said Mrs. Willett, with quiet decision.

The captain passed it, and after a hopeless glance at Mr. Truefitt and
Miss Willett, who were deep in the enjoyment of each other's society,
returned to the subject of art.

"If I could draw like that, ma'am," he said, with a jerk of his head
toward the ruined castle, "I should give up the sea."

Mrs. Willett inspected it again, even going to the length of taking off
her glasses and poli