ain: "Blood will tell, always supposin' you 'ave it, and will excuse
the expression."

Thus did Mrs Bowldler "turn her necessity to glorious gain," colouring
and enlarging her sphere of service under the prismatic lens of romance.
In her conversation either cottage became a "residence," and its small
garden "the grounds," thus:--

"Palmerston, inform Captain Hunken that dinner is served. You will find
him in the grounds."

Or, "Where's that boy?" Captain Cai might ask.

"Palmerston, sir? He is at present in the adjacent, cleaning the knives
and forks."

She had indeed set this high standard of expression in the very act of
taking service; when, being asked what wages she demanded, she answered,
"If acceptable to you, sir, I would intimate eighteen guineas--and my
viands."

"That's two shilling short o' nineteen pound," said Captain Hunken.

"I thank you, sir"--Mrs Bowldler made obeisance--"but I have an
attachment to guineas."

She identified herself with her employers by speaking of them in the
first person plural: "No, we do not dress for dinner. Our rule is to
dine in the middle of the day, as more agreeable to health." [A sigh.]
"Sometimes I wish we could persuade ourselves that vegetables look
better on the side-table."

Such was Mrs Bowldler: and her housekeeping, no less vigilant than
romantic, protected our two friends from a thousand small domestic
cares.

"Committee-meeting, to-night?" asked 'Bias.

"Eight o'clock: to settle up details--mark-boats, handicap, and the
like. . . . It's a wonder to me," said Cai reflectively, "how this
regatta has run on, year after year. With Bussa for secretary, if you
can understand such madness."

"They'll be runnin' you for the next Parish Council, sure as fate."

Cai ignored this. "There's the fireworks, too. Nobody chosen yet to
superintend 'em, an' who's to do it I don't know, unless I take over
that little job in addition."

"I thought the firm always sent a couple o' hands to fix an let 'em
off."

"So it does. They arrived a couple of hours ago--both drunk as Chloe."

"Plenty o' time to sleep it off between this an' then," opined 'Bias
comfortably.

"But they're still _on_ the drink. Likely as not we shall find 'em
to-morrow in Highway lock-up, which is four miles from here. . . .
It happened once before," said Cai with a face of gloom, "and Bussa did
the whole display by himself."

"Good Lord! How did it go off?"

"He can't remembe