nd Mr. Morland's rooms and the cabins of the two
ladies were on the upper deck, ample in appearance from the outside,
and no doubt furnished luxuriously. The guests had the run of a fine
saloon also, on the lower deck, as well as a music-gallery which ran
round it, and there was a boudoir, as I heard, attached to the ladies'
compartments, as well as a private room to Mr. Morland's. Breakfast was
mainly interesting as introducing me practically for the first time to
my companions. We were then abreast of the Isle of Wight, and were
keeping well away towards France. The chief officer I now, to my
astonishment, discovered to be a man of title. Sir John Barraclough was
a tall, loose-limbed, good-looking man of thirty something, with a blue
eye, and a casual manner. He nodded at me amiably and continued his
talk with Legrand, the second officer, who was dark and high-coloured,
with a restless expression of face. Lane threw a jocular greeting
across the table to me, and I shook hands cordially with Holgate, whom
I now saw for the first time since I had come aboard. Presently
Barraclough turned to me.

"Glad to see you, doctor," he said in an indifferent manner. "Hope it's
goin' to be a fine cruise."

I had just echoed his wish formally when the captain made his
appearance from the deck. Captain Day was a most fastidious-looking
man, with a brown Vandyke beard and a flow of good manners. Seeing me
and Holgate there as the only strangers, he singled us out at once with
quite the right degree of friendliness.

"Glad to make your acquaintance, Dr. Phillimore. This your first
voyage? I hope we'll make a happy family."

But having thus condescended briefly, he relapsed into silence and
shortly afterwards left us.

"There's too much condemned R.N.R. about the old man," confided Lane as
we went on deck, "but he's all right."

It was on deck that I met with my surprise, for the first person my
eyes fell on was no other than Pye, the little lawyer's clerk.

"I never expected to see you here," I told him.

"Well, you see, I did expect to see you," he replied in his
self-satisfied little way. "I'm here to represent Mr. Morland for the
time being."

"Oh," said I, "then you can tell us all where we are bound for, for no
one seems to know."

He considered a little. "I shall be able to tell you shortly, I have no
doubt," he said at last. "At present Mr. Morland alone knows. Perhaps
even he doesn't," he added with his smile.

"