d and
graceful figure poised in dancing impatience on the ladder-rung defied
criticism. Much as he disapproved of the public exhibition, he could not
check a breath of admiration.

The small boy shivering on the platform vibrated between courage and
fear; then, urged by the shouts from above, and lured by that sparkling
face and those outstretched arms below, he leaped. Shrieks of laughter
followed as his fat little body spanked the water, and was quickly
righted and deposited, gasping, but victorious, on a life-buoy. Then the
small girl must dive, and after that all three must splash and jump and
float and swim like a trio of mad young porpoises.

The Honorable Percival was a good swimmer himself, and his interest
kindled as he watched the perfect ease with which the young person
handled herself in the narrow confines of the tank. While he deplored
the wretched taste of the proceeding, he had to admit that she carried
it off with admirable lack of self-consciousness. She swam as she did
everything else, with impetuous joy, and seemed as unaware of the
admiring glances of the spectators as the children themselves.

"Did ye see her the other day when she climbed to the crow's-nest?"
asked the Scotchman, with enthusiasm.

"No," said Percival, curtly.

"The wind was blowing at a bittie, but she went up the rigging like a
sailor. I doubt if the lass would be afraid of the de'il himself."

"Probably jolly well used to all this sort of thing," said Percival,
wearily.

"Indeed, no; this is her first sea-voyage. She never saw a ship before."

"I thought you said she was the captain's daughter."

"So she is; but he's had her out on a Western ranch since she was a bit
of a lass. Quite a romance!"

"Really?"

"Yes. Her mother was a play-actress. Ran off with an English nobleman.
Left the captain and the lassie in the lurch, and died before she
reached England. I had the story from the purser."

"Where's the girl going now?"

"The captain is fetching her the round trip to Hong-Kong, to break off
some love-affair at home, I believe. But if she's as canny as she's
bonny, I'll wager she'll outwit him before they have done."

Percival, who at first had remained in the back row of the spectators,
during this recital moved to the front, and now as he looked down he
suddenly encountered the laughing glance of the person under discussion.
She was lazily watching him from where she floated in the water, with
her loosened h