s added to the forlornness of the picture. In his present state
of mind the faded blooms seemed particularly appropriate, and suddenly
determining to possess them, he walked up the steps and knocked at the
door, trembling like a young housebreaker over his first job.

"I think I left my pipe here the other night," he stammered to the small
girl who opened it.

"I'll swear you didn't," said the small damsel, readily.

"Can I go up and see?" enquired Fraser, handing her some coppers.

The small girl relented, and even offered to assist him in his search,
but he waved her away, and going upstairs sat down and looked drearily
round the shabby little room. An execrable ornament of green and pink
paper in the fireplace had fallen down, together with a little soot;
there was dust on the table, and other signs of neglect. He crossed over
to the window and secured two or three of the blooms, and was drying
the stalks on his handkerchief when his eye suddenly lighted on a little
white ball on the mantel-piece, and, hardly able to believe in his
good fortune, he secured a much-darned pair of cotton gloves, which had
apparently been forgotten in the hurry of departure. He unrolled them,
and pulling out the little shrivelled fingers, regarded them with
mournful tenderness. Then he smoothed them out, and folding them with
reverent fingers, placed them carefully in his breastpocket. He then
became conscious that somebody was regarding his antics with amazement
from the doorway.

"_Mr. Fraser!_" said a surprised voice, which tried to be severe.

Mr. Fraser bounded from his chair, and stood regarding the intruder
with a countenance in which every feature was outvying the other in
amazement.

"I thought--you--were on the _Golden Cloud_," he stammered.

Miss Tyrell shook her head and looked down. "I missed the ship," she
said, pensively.

"Missed the ship?" shouted the other; "missed the ship? Did Flower miss
it too?"

"I'm afraid not," said Miss Tyrell, even more pensively than before.

"Good heavens, I never heard of such a thing," said Fraser; "how ever
did you manage to do it?"

"I went to lie down a little while on Saturday afternoon," said Poppy,
reflectively; "I'd got my box packed and everything ready; when I got
up it was past seven o'clock, and then I knew it was no use. Ships won't
wait, you know."

Fraser gazed at her in amaze. In his mind's eye he still saw the deck
of the _Golden Cloud_; but Poppy's deck-chai