ofession and his rank at sight. He had a broad humorous face,
tanned over freckled pink. Since he left Wellington he had grown a
little in every direction and had become a large middle aged boy.
Victoria took him in at one look. A square face such as that of Cairns,
distinctly chubby, framing grey blue eyes, was as easily recalled as
forgotten. She took in his forehead, high and likely to become higher as
his hair receded; his straight aggressive nose; his little rough
moustache looking like nothing so much as a ragged strip off an Irish
terrier's back.

While Victoria was wondering what to say, Molly, determined to show her
that she was not going to leave her out, had thrust her three henchmen
forward.

'This is Bobby,' she remarked. Bobby was a tall young man with a round
head, bright brown eyes full of cheerfulness and hot temper. 'And
Captain Alastair . . . and Mr Parker.' Alastair smiled. Smiles were his
method of expression. Mr Parker bowed rather low and said nothing. He
had at once conceived for Victoria the mixture of admiration and dislike
that a man feels towards a woman who would not marry him if she knew
where he had been to school.

'I hope,' said Mr Parker slowly, 'that your. . . .' But he broke off
suddenly, realising the mourning and feeling the ground to be unsafe.

'Mr Parker, I've been looking for you all the morning,' interjected
Molly, with intuition. 'You've promised to teach me to judge my
distance,' and she cleverly pushed Bobby between Mr Parker and Victoria.
'Come along, and you Bobby, you can pick the rings up.'

'Right O,' said Bobby readily. She turned towards the stern followed by
the obedient Bobby and Mr Parker.

Captain Alastair smiled vacuously, made as if to follow the trio,
realising that it was a false start, swerved back and finally covering
his confusion by sliding a few yards onwards to tell Mrs Colonel Lanning
that it was blowing up for a squall.

Victoria had watched the little incident with amused detachment.

'Who is Mr Parker?' she enquired.

'Met him yesterday for the first time,' said Cairns, 'and really I can't
say I want to know. Might be awkward. Must be in the stores or
something. Looks to me like a cross between a mute and a parson. Bit of
a worm, anyhow.'

'Oh, he didn't hurt my feelings,' remarked Victoria; 'but some men never
know what women have got on.' Cairns looked her over approvingly.
Shoddy-looking mourning. Durzee made of course. But, Lord, what