ly. "I should jump in after you if
I couldn't swim a stroke."

Miss Tyrell, somewhat taken aback, murmured her gratification.

"I should go in after you," continued the mate who was loath to depart
from the subject, "if it was blowing a gale, and the sea full of
sharks."

"What a blessing it is there are no sharks round our coast," said Miss
Tyrell, in somewhat of a hurry to get away from the mate's heroism.
"Have you ever seen one?"

"Saw them in the Indian Ocean when I was an apprentice," replied Fraser.

"You've been on foreign-going ships then?" said the girl. "I wonder you
gave it up for this."

"This suits me better," said Fraser; "my father's an old man, and he
wanted me home. I shall have a little steamer he's got an interest in
as soon as her present skipper goes, so it's just as well for me to know
these waters."

In this wise they sat talking until evening gave way to night, and
the deck of the _Foam_ was obscured in shadow. Lamps were lit on the
wharves, and passing craft hung out their side-lights. The girl rose to
her feet.

"I won't wait any longer; I must be going," she said.

"He may be back at any moment," urged the mate.

"No, I'd better go, thank you," replied the girl; "it's getting late. I
don't like going home alone."

"I'll come with you, if you'll let me," said the mate, eagerly.

"All the way?" said Miss Tyrell, with the air of one bargaining.

"Of course," said Fraser.

"Well, I'll give him another half-hour, then," said the girl, calmly.
"Shall we go down to the cabin? It's rather chilly up here now."

The mate showed her below, and, lighting the lamp, took a seat opposite
and told her a few tales of the sea, culled when he was an apprentice,
and credulous of ear. Miss Tyrell retaliated with some told her by
her father, from which Fraser was able to form his own opinion of that
estimable mariner. The last story was of a humourous nature, and
the laughter which ensued grated oddly on the ear of the sturdy,
good-looking seaman who had just come on board. He stopped at the
companion for a moment listening in amazement, and then, hastily
descending, entered the cabin.

"Poppy!" he cried. "Why, I've been waiting up at the Wheelers' for you
for nearly a couple of hours."

"I must have missed you," said Miss Tyrell, serenely. "Annoying, isn't
it?"

The master of the _Foam_ said it was, and seemed from his manner to be
anxious to do more justice to the subject than that.

"I