r that, considering what the Fleet
did, there would have been no invasion if it had not been for those
diabolical contrivances that John Castellan took over to the German
Emperor."

"You needn't have any hesitation in saying what you like about him
before me, Lord Westerham," said Norah, flushing. "It's no brother he is
of mine now, as I told him the day he went aboard the German yacht at
Clifden. I'd see him shot to-morrow without a wink of my eyes. The man
who does what he has done has no right to the respect of any man nor the
love of any woman--no, not even if the woman is his sister. Think of all
the good, loyal Irishmen, soldiers and sailors, that he has murdered by
this time. No, I have no brother called John Castellan."

"But you have another called Denis," said Auriole, "and I think you may
be well content with him!"

"Ah, Denis!" said Norah, flushing again, but for a different reason,
"Denis is a good and loyal man; yes, I am proud of him--God bless him!"

"And I should reckon that skipper of his, Captain Erskine, must be a
pretty smart sort of man," said Mr Parmenter, who so far had hardly
joined in the conversation, and who had seemed curiously indifferent to
the terrible exploits of the _Flying Fishes_ and all that had followed
them. "That craft of his seems to be just about as business-like as
anything that ever got into the water or under it. I wonder what he is
doing with the Russian and German ships in the Thames now. I guess he
won't let many of them get back out of there. Quite a young man, too,
according to the accounts."

"Oh, yes," said Lady Margaret, "he isn't twenty-nine yet. I know him
slightly. He is a son of Admiral Erskine, who commanded the China
Squadron about eight years ago, and died of fever after a pirate hunt,
and he is the nephew of dear old Lady Caroline Anstey, my other mother
as I call her. He is really a splendid fellow, and some people say as
good-looking as he is clever; although, of course, there was a desperate
lot of jealousy when he was promoted Captain straight away from
Lieutenant-Commander of a Fishery cruiser, but I should like to know how
many of the wiseacres of Whitehall could have designed that _Ithuriel_
of his."

"It's a pity she can't fly, though, like those others," said Mr
Parmenter, with a curious note in his voice which no one at the table
but Lennard understood. "She's a holy terror in the water, but the other
fellow's got all the call on land. If they