ertain amount of decency, and his indignation was proportionately great
the following evening when Bella announced Mr. Hardy. He made a genial
remark about Shylock and a pound of flesh, but finding that it was only
an excellent conversational opening, the subject of Shakespeare's plays
lapsed into silence.

It was an absurd situation, but he was host and Hardy allowed him to see
pretty plainly that he was a guest. He answered the latter's remarks
with a very ill grace, and took covert stock of him as one of a species
he had not encountered before. One result of his stock-taking was that
he was spared any feeling of surprise when his visitor came the following
evening.

"It's the thin end of the wedge," said Miss Nugent, who came into the
room after Hardy had departed; "you don't know him as well as I do."

"Eh?" said her father, sharply.

"I mean that you are not such a judge of character as I am," said Kate;
"and besides, I have made a special study of young men. The only thing
that puzzles me is why you should have such an extraordinary fascination
for him."

"You talk too much, miss," said the captain, drawing the tobacco jar
towards him and slowly filling his pipe.

Miss Nugent sighed, and after striking a match for him took a seat on the
arm of his chair and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I can quite
understand him liking you," she said, slowly.

The captain grunted.

"And if he is like other sensible people," continued Miss Nugent, in a
coaxing voice, "the more he sees of you the more he'll like you. I do
hope he has not come to take you away from me."

[Illustration: "I do hope he has not come to take you away from me."]

The indignant captain edged her off the side of his chair; Miss Nugent,
quite undisturbed, got on again and sat tapping the floor with her foot.
Her arm stole round his neck and she laid her cheek against his head and
smiled wickedly.

"Nice-looking, isn't he?" she said, in a careless voice.

"I don't know anything about his looks," growled her father.

Miss Nugent gave a little exclamation of surprise. "First thing I
noticed," she said, with commendable gravity. "He's very good-looking
and very determined. What are you going to give him if he gets poor Jack
out of this miserable business?"

"Give him?" said her father, staring.

"I met Jack yesterday," said Kate, "and I can see that he is as wretched
as he can be. He wouldn't say so, of course. If Mr. Hardy is su