.
"What did I mean?--oh, just what I said. It's a fact."

Captain Vanleigh stood glaring at him as if trying to pierce the
imperturbable crust of solemnity on the speaker's face; but Pratt
remained as solemn as a judge, and amidst an ill-suppressed tittering,
the Captain stalked from the room, saying to his companion--

"The fellow's a fool--an ass--little better than an idiot!"

As for Podger Pratt, he looked innocently round the room as if asking
the meaning of the laugh, and then went on with his paper.

But that was months before the present day, when Captain Vanleigh,
gracefully removing his cigar from between his white teeth, said--

"Voila! the pilot-fish and the shark!"

"The sucking-fish and the porpoise, I should say," remarked his
companion, a fair young fellow, dressed evidently upon the other's
model. "What big fellow Dick Trevor has grown!"

"You're right, Flick; sucking-fish it is. That fat, little, briefless
barrister will fatten still more on Dick Trevor's chequebook. Ah, well,
Flicky, it is a wise ordination of Providence that those men who have
the largest properties are the biggest fools."

"Ya-as, exactly," said Flick, otherwise Sir Felix Landells. "I daresay
you're right, Van; but don't quite see your argument. I s'pose may call
'self a wealthy man?"

"No rule without an exception, my dear boy; you are one of the
exceptions. Odd, though, isn't it, how we have all been thrown together
after four years?"

"Yes, 'tis odd; but think it's dooced nice of Dick to look us up as he
has. You'll make one of the party, of course?"

"Well, I don't know. Certainly, town is empty. These sailor fellows
are rather rough, though."

"Oh, come down. Besides, it's in the country."

"Such an infernal distance!--but there, perhaps I will."

As they stood talking, there came slowly sauntering along the pave a
well-built young fellow, broad of shoulder and chest, and fining rapidly
down to the loins. He seemed to convey the idea that he was rolling up
to you on the deck of a ship with a sea on, and he carried his hands as
if it might be necessary at any moment to throw them out to seize
belaying pin or handrail. He was well dressed; but there was a certain
easy freedom in the fit of his garments, and a loose swing pervading
all, much in contrast with the natty, fashionable attire of the friends,
whom he saluted with a pleasant smile lighting up his bronzed face and
clear grey eyes. His hair w