"no man need feel ashamed at meeting his
countrymen on account of the poverty of his attire; I am sure that
the sight of an English gentleman is a very welcome one to me and Mrs.
Deighton."

"Wal," said Burrowes with easy but not offensive familiarity, "I guess,
parson, thet you and Mrs. Deighton hed better form yourselves inter
a committee of welcome, and tell them so; I ain't much in the polite
speechifying line myself, neither is 'Schneider' here," nodding at the
German, "and you can sling in somethin' ornymental 'bout me bein' the
representative of the United States--a gentleman a-recrootin' of
his health in the South Sea Islands doorin' a perlitercal crisis in
Washington."

By this time the boat had run her bows up on to the white, sandy beach,
and the straw-hatted, tweed-suited gentleman jumped lightly out Taking
off his hat with a graceful, circular sweep, which included every one on
the beach, white and native, he said with languid politeness--

"Good-day, gentlemen; I scarcely hoped to have the pleasure of meeting
Europeans at this place--and certainly never imagined that pleasure
would be enhanced by the presence of a lady," he added as he caught
sight of Mrs. Deighton standing apart some little distance from the
others.

"I am pleased to meet you, sir," said the missionary, constituting
himself spokesman for the others; "you are welcome, sir, very welcome to
Mayou, and to anything that it lies in our power to furnish you with
for your--schooner, or should I say yacht, for such, by her handsome
appearance, I presume she is."

The visitor, who was a handsome, fair-haired man, with a blonde
moustache and blue eyes, bowed his thanks, and then said, "May I have
the honour to introduce myself. My name is De Vere."

"And I am the Rev. Wilfrid Deighton, missionary in charge of this
island. My two----" (here he hesitated a moment before the next word)
"friends are Mr. Peter Schwartzkoff and Mr. Nathaniel Burrowes."

"Delighted to meet you," said Mr. de Vere, bowing politely to the lady,
but extending a white, shapely hand to the men; "and now I must tell you
that I shall be very glad to avail myself, Mr. Deighton, of your kind
offer. We are in want of water, and anything in the way of vegetables,
etcetera, that we can get. We intend, however, to stay here a few days
and refit. Having been in very bad weather coming through the southern
part of the Solomon Group we must effect repairs."

"Might I inquire, mi