hall have a cup of tea--a good hot cup the moment you are
ready for it!" cried Mrs Bryce, nodding her cheery head in his
direction. "You are a hero, Mr Darcy, and you shall write your name in
my autograph volume as a reward for valour. This is the first adventure
I've ever had, and I shall brag about it all the rest of my life."

"And so shall I!" affirmed Mellicent truthfully. "Only I wish I had
swum out myself. It's stupid having an adventure when you are not the
hero." But Peggy said only three short words: "Thank you, Rob!" and
pressed his fingers in an eager grip.

Ten minutes later they had left the island, and Rob was pulling at the
oars as vigorously as if he felt no fatigue from his previous exertions.
Truth to tell, he did not, for the mind has a more powerful influence
over the body than many of us suspect, and the last hour had revealed a
secret which made it seem impossible ever again to feel tired or
discouraged. Peggy loved him! The doubts of the past weeks had been
but ugly dreams, and he was awake once more, and in the sunshine.
Throughout the drive to the station and the railway journey home, he
kept intentionally apart, not trusting himself to speak to her in the
presence of strangers; but if he seemed neglectful, Arthur abundantly
made up for his absence by hanging lovingly round his little sister, and
waiting upon her with a persistency which seemed to betray some inner
remorse. At last, as they were left together for a few minutes at the
end of the corridor carriage, his discomfort forced itself into words,
and he said uneasily:

"I feel as if I had neglected you, Peg, and thought too little of you in
the midst of my excitement. If any one had told me that we should be in
danger, and that my first thought would not be of you, I should have
knocked him down for his pains, but--but you saw how it was, and you
can't be more astonished than I am myself! I never thought I was that
kind of fellow. Can you understand how a man could be so weak and
fickle as to believe himself in love with one woman, and then suddenly
discover--"

"I can understand that a man might believe that he had found his ideal
in one place, and discover that he had made a mistake, and that in
reality it was waiting for him somewhere else; and I call that open-
minded and enlightened--not in the least weak or fickle!" cried Peggy in
reply; whereat Arthur smiled at her with kindly eyes.

"You nice little dear!" he said