e down very often and tell you
about them. You are not interested to-day, but you will be to-morrow,
for a ship is a great school of gossip. You won't believe the number of
researches and problems you will be engaged in by the middle of the
voyage.'

'I? Never in the world--lying here with my nose in a book and never
seeing anything.'

'You will participate at second hand. You will see through my eyes, hang
upon my lips, take sides, feel passions, all sorts of sympathies and
indignations. I have an idea that your young lady is the person on board
who will interest me most.'

'Mine, indeed! She has not been near me since we left the dock.'

'Well, she is very curious.'

'You have such cold-blooded terms,' Mrs. Nettlepoint murmured. '_Elle ne
sait pas se conduire_; she ought to have come to ask about me.'

'Yes, since you are under her care,' I said, smiling. 'As for her not
knowing how to behave--well, that's exactly what we shall see.'

'You will, but not I! I wash my hands of her.'

'Don't say that--don't say that.'

Mrs. Nettlepoint looked at me a moment. 'Why do you speak so solemnly?'

In return I considered her. 'I will tell you before we land. And have
you seen much of your son?'

'Oh yes, he has come in several times. He seems very much pleased. He
has got a cabin to himself.'

'That's great luck,' I said, 'but I have an idea he is always in luck. I
was sure I should have to offer him the second berth in my room.'

'And you wouldn't have enjoyed that, because you don't like him,' Mrs.
Nettlepoint took upon herself to say.

'What put that into your head?'

'It isn't in my head--it's in my heart, my _coeur de mere_. We guess
those things. You think he's selfish--I could see it last night.'

'Dear lady,' I said, 'I have no general ideas about him at all. He is
just one of the phenomena I am going to observe. He seems to me a very
fine young man. However,' I added, 'since you have mentioned last night
I will admit that I thought he rather tantalised you. He played with
your suspense.'

'Why, he came at the last just to please me,' said Mrs. Nettlepoint.

I was silent a moment. 'Are you sure it was for your sake?'

'Ah, perhaps it was for yours!'

'When he went out on the balcony with that girl perhaps she asked him to
come,' I continued.

'Perhaps she did. But why should he do everything she asks him?'

'I don't know yet, but perhaps I shall know later. Not that he will tell
me--for he wil