y--I should think I'd have a middling
good chance of getting his secretaryship. He must have a gentleman for
that job, otherwise he'd never be able to get along at all. I don't
suppose he knows how to do things a bit. He evidently doesn't know how
to behave. Look at the way he's gone on with Crossan since he's been
here. Now if I were his secretary--"

Godfrey mumbled on. He evidently has hopes of ousting Bob Power. He
may possibly succeed in doing so. Godfrey has all the cunning
characteristic of the criminal lunatic.

Three days later he got his chance of dealing with Bob Power. The
_Finola_ anchored in our bay again and Bob Power was in command of
her.

CHAPTER XIV

Bob Power spent the afternoon with us. Strictly speaking, I ought to
say he spent the afternoon with Marion. I only saw him at tea-time. He
let me understand then that he would like to stay and dine with us. I
felt that I ought to be vexed at the prospect of losing another quiet
evening. Conroy had cost me two evenings. My visit to Castle Affey, my
political March Past, and my expedition to Dublin had robbed me of
nine others. I could ill afford to spare a twelfth to Bob Power. Yet I
felt unreasonably pleased when he promised to dine with us. There is a
certain flavour of the sea about Bob, a sense of boisterous good
fellowship, a joyous irresponsibility, which would have been
attractive to me at any time, and were singularly pleasant after my
political experiences. I was not at all so well pleased when a note
arrived from Godfrey in which he asked whether he too could dine with
us.

He arrived long before dinner, before I had gone upstairs to dress,
and explained himself.

"I heard," he said, "that Power was up here, so I thought I'd better
come too."

"How lucky it is," I said, "that Pringle didn't invite you to-night."

"I shouldn't have gone if he had. I should have considered it my duty
to come here. After all, Excellency, some one ought to look after
Marion a bit."

"For the matter of that," I said, "some one ought to look after Tottie
Pringle."

"You never can tell," said Godfrey, "what silly fancy a girl will take
into her head, and that fellow Power is just the sort who might--"

Godfrey nodded sagaciously. It has always been understood that Godfrey
is to marry Marion at some future time. I have always understood this
and, on personal grounds, dislike it very much; though I do not deny
that the arrangement is convenient. M