Harwich and put themselves on board Jack Stuart's yacht. The hail of the
house in Berkeley Square was strewed with portmanteaus, gun cases, and
fishing rods, whereas the wine and packets of preserved meat, and the
bottled beer and fish in tins, and the large box of cigars, and the
prepared soups, had been sent down by Boxall, and were by this time on
board the boat. Hugh and Archie were to leave London this day by train
at 5 p.m., and were to sleep on board. Jack Stuart was already there,
having assisted in working the yacht round from Brightlingsea.

On that morning Archie had a farewell breakfast at his club with
Doodles, and after that, having spent the intervening hours in the
billiard-room, a farewell luncheon. There had been something of
melancholy in this last day between the friends, originating partly in
the failure of Archie's hopes as to Lady Ongar, and partly, perhaps; in
the bad character which seemed to cling to Jack Stuart and his craft.
"He has been at it for years, and always coming to grief;" said Doodles.
"He is just like a man I know, who has been hunting for the last ten
years, and can't sit a horse at a fence yet. He has broken every bone in
his side, and I don't suppose he ever saw a good thing to a finish. He
never knows whether hounds are in cover, or where they are. His only
idea is to follow another man's red coat till he comes to grief--and yet
he will go on hunting. There are some people who never will understand
what they can do and what they can't." In answer to this, Archie
reminded his friend that on this occasion Jack Stuart would have the
advantage of an excellent dry nurse, acknowledged to do very great on
such occasions. Would not he, Archie Clavering, be there to pilot Jack
Stuart and his boat? But, nevertheless, Doodles was melancholy, and went
on telling stories about that unfortunate man who would continue to
break his bones, though he had no aptitude for out-of-door sports.
"He'll be carried home on a stretcher some day, you know," said Doodles.

"What does it matter if he is?" said Archie, boldly, thinking of himself
and of the danger predicted for him. "A man can only die once."

"I call it quite a tempting of Providence," said Doodles.

But their conversation was chiefly about Lady Ongar and the Spy. It was
only on this day that Doodles had learned that Archie had in truth
offered his hand and been rejected, and Captain Clavering was surprised
by the extent of his friend's