lf before we can decide anything definite. For
some reason he hasn't been able to come to the ship: a business reason
probably. My wife and I are going to be neighbours of Miss Moore. We'll
take her to Kidd's Pines, and if it's better for her to stay with us for
a while we shall only be too happy. Anyhow, we invite you to Awepesha
this afternoon; you, Mrs. Shuster----"

"And Mr. Storm, my new secretary?" she broke in coyly.

"Of course. We hope Mr. Storm will come and elaborate this interesting
hotel scheme of his. I shouldn't wonder if there were something in it."

"Do I share the invitation?" asked Caspian. "Don't forget that I have a
scheme, too!"

"Delighted!" said Jack, making no allusion to the latter "scheme."

When he got me alone, under pretext of going back to "W" for the
examination of our luggage, we hastily counted up what money we had
between us, in order to regulate Pat's affairs at the custom house
without delay and without mortification to her. Even before the blow
fell, she had given Jack the bills for the Paris purchases, so that he
might help her calculate the sums which must be paid. "Larry always
writes that he has no head for figures," she had said, "so if Captain
Winston and I know what's to be done it will save time and gray matter.
All poor Larry will have to do is to hand over the right change."

She spoke lightly of "change," having been brought up to know little
difference between pounds and pence. Even now when the blow had fallen,
and fallen hard, happiness was so much more natural to her than
unhappiness that she was already cheered by our suggestions. It seemed
to her that everything must soon "come right." I believe she was more
anxious to comfort Larry and show him what a tower of strength she could
be to him than anything else. The first thought in many girls' heads
would have been: "Here's an end of my good times before they've begun!"
but I'm sure there was no place in Pat's mind for her own grievances. I
fancied that she'd even forgotten those dresses for the debutante who
might now never "debut," and the birthday car which might appropriately
be named the "White Elephant." Indeed I hoped she would forget, so that
Jack might pay the duty and escape protests or gratitude. But the girl
had a more practical side to her nature than I'd supposed. Just as Jack
and I had finished our calculations by discovering that we hadn't enough
ready money to settle up with the customs for ourse