, several men whose wives and families
are here in England, and they accept their exile there as an ordinary
commercial necessity. But then they put their whole minds into their
work, for they know that when they return to England they will find
their wives and families just as they left them. Of course, in the
majority of cases the married men there have taken their wives out with
them. Do you fear a long sea-voyage, Wenna?"

"I don't know," she said rather startled.

"You ought to be a good sailor, you know."

She said nothing to that: she was looking down, dreading what was
coming.

"I am sure you must be a good sailor. I have heard of many of your
boating adventures. Weren't you rather fond, some years ago, of going
out at night with the Lundy pilots?"

"I have never gone a long voyage in a large vessel," Wenna said rather
faintly.

"But if there was any reasonable object to be gained an ordinary
sea-voyage would not frighten you?"

"Perhaps not."

"And they have really very good steamers going to the West Indies."

"Oh, indeed!"

"First rate! You get a most comfortable cabin."

"I thought you rather--in your description of it--in your first
letter--"

"Oh," said he, hurriedly and lightly (for he had been claiming sympathy
on account of the discomfort of his voyage out), "perhaps I made a
little too much of that. Besides, I did not make a proper choice in
time. One gains experience in such matters. Now, if you were going out
to Jamaica, I should see that you had every comfort."

"But you don't wish me to go out to Jamaica?" she said, almost
retreating from him.

"Well," said he with a smile, for his only object at present was to
familiarize her with the idea, "I don't particularly wish it unless the
project seems a good one to you. You see, Wenna, I find that my stay
there must be longer than I expected. When I went out at first the
intention of my partners and myself was that I should merely be on the
spot to help our manager by agreeing to his accounts at the moment, and
undertaking a lot of work of that sort, which otherwise would have
consumed time in correspondence. I was merely to see the whole thing
well started, and then return. But now I find that my superintendence
may be needed there for a long while. Just when everything promises so
well I should not like to imperil all our chances simply for a year or
two."

"Oh no, of course not," Wenna said: she had no objection to his
remaining