ster," asked Burrowes, "ef your vessel is a trader,
or jest a pleasure schooner, as the parson here says?"

"Mr. Deighton is quite correct," said Mr. de Vere, with another graceful
bow; "the _Starlight_ is a yacht I can quite understand your not being
able to make her out She was originally built for the navy as a gunboat,
but was sold in Sydney, after some years' service. I bought her and had
her altered into a yacht to cruise about these delightful and beautiful
South Sea Islands. My friend, the Honourable John Morcombe-Lycett,
accompanies me. Our English yachting experience had much to do with our
determination to make a cruise down here. In fact," and here Mr. de Vere
showed his white, even teeth in a smile, and stroked his drooping blonde
moustache, "we left London with the intention of chartering a vessel in
Sydney for a cruise among the islands. Mr. Morcombe-Lycett is, however,
very unwell to-day, and so has not landed, but here am I; and I am very
happy indeed to make your acquaintance."

Then, turning towards the boat, he called out to the officer who had
brought him, "Come ashore for me at dinner-time, Captain Sykes."

II ~ A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

A few hours later Mr. de Vere was on very friendly terms with Mr. and
Mrs. Deighton, who had carried him off to the mission house, after the
boat returned to the schooner. Before he accompanied them, however, he
told Messrs. Burrowes and Schwartzkoff, as he shook hands, that he would
not fail to visit them later on in the day at their respective houses.
And both Peter, and the American, who on any other occasion would have
been justly indignant at any white visitor not a missionary himself
foregoing, even for a short time, the pleasure of their society for that
of a "blarsted missionary," shook hands with him most vigorously, and
said they would be proud to see him. Then they hurried off homewards.

Peter's house and trading station lay midway between that of Charlie
Blount and the American's, but instead of making for his own place,
Peter, to the surprise of Blount, who was now standing at his door
watching them, went inside Burrowes' house.

"That's d----d curious, now," said Blount, in English, to one of his
half-caste daughters, a girl of eighteen; "those two fellows hate each
other like poison. I've never known the Dutchman go into the Yankee's
house, or the Yankee go into his, for the past two years, and here they
are now as thick as thieves! I wond