ardross airily, "take a few days off--on yourself.
You've one thing yet to learn: it's only the unsuccessful who are too
busy to play."

"But what I'm doing is play," remonstrated the young man
good-humouredly. "Well--I'll go to the beach, then." He looked at the
steam-jets above the forest, fumbled with his note-book, caught the eye
of Mrs. Cardross, put away the book, and took his leave laughingly.

"We go duck-shooting to-morrow," called out Cardross after him.

Hamil halted in the doorway to protest, but the elder man waved him
away; and he went to his room to change riding-clothes for flannels and
sponge the reek of horse and leather from his person.

* * * * *

The beach was all ablaze with the brilliant colours of sunshades, hats,
and bathing-skirts. Hamil lost no time in getting into his
swimming-suit; and, as he emerged, tall, cleanly built, his compact
figure deeply tanned where exposed, Portlaw, waddling briskly toward the
ocean, greeted him with the traditional: "Come on! it's fine!" and
informed him furthermore that "everybody" was there.

CHAPTER VIII

MANOEUVERING

Everybody seemed to be there, either splashing about in the Atlantic or
playing ball on the beach or congregated along the sands observant of
the jolly, riotous scene sparkling under the magnificence of a cloudless
sky.

Hamil nodded to a few people as he sauntered toward the surf; he stopped
and spoke to his aunt and Colonel Vetchen, who informed him that
Virginia and Cuyp were somewhere together chastely embracing the ocean;
he nodded to old Classon who was toddling along the wet sands in a
costume which revealed considerable stomach; he saw Malcourt, knee-deep,
hovering around Shiela, yet missing nothing of what went on around him,
particularly wherever the swing of a bathing-skirt caught his quick,
handsome eyes.

Then Cecile stretched out an inviting hand to him from the water and he
caught it, and together they hurled themselves head first into the surf,
swimming side by side out to the raft.

"It's nice to see you again," said the girl. "Are you going to be
agreeable now and go about with us? There's a luncheon at two--your fair
friend Virginia Suydam has asked us, much to our surprise--but after
that I'm quite free if you've anything to propose."

She looked up at him, pink and fresh as a wet rose, balanced there on
the edge of the rocking raft.

"Anything to propose?" he repeated;