, when he was quite pacified,
"that Hawley's affair has come off all right. Even if she had not
been an heiress I should have said that he was a lucky fellow, for
she is an extremely nice and pleasant young woman, without any
nonsense about her; still there is no doubt that her fortune will
come in very handy for Hawley. As to the girl herself, I think she
has made a very good choice. She has plenty of money for both, and
as he has managed to keep up on his younger son's portion, he can
have no extravagant tastes, and will make her a very good husband.
There is no other engagement to be announced, I suppose?"

"As I am the only other unmarried man on board, Colonel, your
question is somewhat pointed. No; I hope there may be one of these
days, but I don't think that it would be fair to ask her here,
where I am her host, and she is under the glamour of the sea. I
doubt whether she has the slightest idea of what I want. That is
the worst of being very old friends; the relations get so fixed
that a woman does not recognise that they can ever be changed.
However, I shall try my luck one of these days. I don't think that
I shall meet with any serious opposition on her mother's part, if
Bertha likes me, but I know that Lady Greendale has very much more
ambitious views for her, and has quite set her mind upon her making
a good match. No doubt she has a right to expect that she will do
so. However, I think she is too fond of Bertha to thwart her,
however disappointed she might feel. At present I don't think that
she has any more suspicion than Bertha herself of my intentions."

During the voyage Bertha and Amy Sinclair had become quite adroit
helmswomen, and one or other was constantly at the tiller when the
wind was light. Bertha had learned the names of all the crew, and
often went forward to ask questions of the men tending the head
sails, becoming a prime favourite with all hands. On arriving at
Southampton the rest of the party went up at once to town, while
Frank remained behind for a day or two, going round in the yacht to
Gosport, where she was to be laid up for the winter.

Chapter 7.

"I am so sorry," Bertha Greendale said, "so awfully sorry. I had no
idea that you thought of me like that. We were such friends so long
ago, and it has been so pleasant since you came home last year, and
I like you as if you were a big brother; but I have never thought
of you in any other light, and now it seems dreadful to me to