cred cheerfully. "We must put her up
for to-night."

The children slipped off the seat; Tinker put Elsie's arm through his,
and, holding her up when she stumbled over the long ulster, followed
his father and Lord Crosland.

There were some empty bedrooms in their corridor, and Elsie was settled
for the night in one of them.

Tinker awoke next morning, very cheerful at the thought of having a
companion to join in his amusements. He made haste to knock at Elsie's
door, and bid her come out for a swim before their coffee. She was
soon dressed and found him waiting for her. She flushed a little as
she greeted him, and he greeted her with a seraph's smile.

"I thought you'd like a bathe before our coffee," he said.

"It would be nice," said Elsie wistfully. "But my hair--it is such a
trouble, even without being wetted by sea-water."

Tinker looked at the fine silky mass of it, and said with sympathetic
seriousness, "I saw it was beyond you; but we'll manage."

He caught her hand, they ran down the stairs, out of the hotel, and
most of the way to the beach. Then he took her to a lady's
bathing-tent, and instructed the attendant to provide Elsie with the
prettiest costume she had; changed himself, and in five minutes they
were in the sea. To his joy, he found that she could swim nearly as
well as he. But he was very careful of her, and the moment she looked
cold he took her ashore.

They came back to the hotel very hungry; and Tinker led the way through
the passages at the back of the hall, down into the hotel kitchen,
where he was welcomed with affectionate joy by the kitchen staff. The
end of a long table had been laid with the finest napery and plate of
the hotel; they sat down at it, and were forthwith served with an
exquisitely cooked dish of fresh mullet, wonderful hot cakes, and
steaming cups of fragrant _cafe au lait_. As he breakfasted, Tinker
conversed with the chattering staff with a cheerful kindliness and a
thorough knowledge of all their private concerns, keeping Elsie
informed of the matters under discussion by such phrases as "It's
Adolphe's wife; she beats him;" or, "Lucie has consulted a
fortune-teller, who says she is going to marry a millionaire;" or,
"Jean's eldest daughter has just made her first communion; they say she
looked like a pretty little angel." But he did not tell her of the
chaffing congratulations heaped on him on the prospect of his settling
down with his beautiful blond