rs so relentlessly against
those clear brown features, those deep brown eyes, and the firm mouth
which is not cold.

"A good thing for me," thought I, "that she has. And if I don't get a
chance to ask her to-day, I'll write a note and beg the L.C.P.--no, I'll
get Sister Phyllis to give it to her this evening."

I was arranging the wording of the note, after tea, which we had on
deck, when, quite idly at first, my eyes dwelt upon a black speck moving
far away, in our wake. It amused me to see the speck grow, for at the
moment I had no one to talk to, and Tibe was asleep with his chin on my
knee. I lost track of a sentence which was shaping itself nicely in my
mind and ought to have been irresistible to Nell, in wondering what the
speck would turn out to be, by-and-by.

It was growing fast, which meant that it was moving fast, perhaps faster
than we. Could it be a motor-barge? But why should a motor-barge be
forging out to sea, where no motor-barges or motor-boats of any sort,
except racers, had any need to venture, unless they were navigated to
gratify the whim of a wilful American girl?

Now, it did not appear likely that in Dutch waters there could be at
this moment an indefinite number of American girls, wilful or
otherwise, owning motor-vessels, and wishing to visit Zeeland in them.

If it were not such a fine day, Alb would not have taken the risk with
"Mascotte" and "Waterspin," even to please his particular American girl,
and if it were not to please her, he would probably not have come in any
case. Yet that thing behind us was skimming along too fast to be
anything else save a motor-boat. What then was its errand in this wide,
lake-like expanse of water, which did not lend itself to the
encouragement of promiscuous motor-boats?

It was gaining on us now, for it had no fat "Waterspin" to drag. One
might almost think it was following, it came so straight, and--Suddenly
my ears and the top of my head felt hot.

I got up, and went to Alb, who was standing silent at the wheel. Before
I spoke to him I glanced at the others to see that they were all fully
occupied in listening to Robert talk of the house, next door to his
mother's in Rotterdam, which he had the intention of buying "as a
wedding present for Phyllis."

"Alb," said I, "just throw a look over your shoulder, and say what
manner of thing you think that is coming after us."

He threw the look. "I think," he answered slowly, "that it's by way of
bein