went up
the companion-ladder, "I think that'll do."

There was an awkward pause after his departure. "I'm sure I don't know
what you must think of me," said the mate at length, "but I don't know
what your father's talking about."

"I don't think anything," said Hetty calmly. "Pass the potatoes,
please."

"I suppose it's a joke of his," said the mate, complying.

"And the salt," said she; "thank you."

"But you don't believe it?" said the mate pathetically.

"Oh, don't be silly," said the girl calmly. "What does it matter whether
I do or not?"

"It matters a great deal," said the mate gloomily. "It's life or death
to me."

"Oh, nonsense," said Hetty. "She won't know of your foolishness. I won't
tell her."

"I tell you," said the mate desperately, "there never was a Kitty Loney.
What do you think of that?"

"I think you are very mean," said the girl scornfully; "don't talk to me
any more, please."

"Just as you like," said the mate, beginning to lose his temper.

He pushed his plate from him and departed, while the girl, angry and
resentful, put the potatoes back as being too floury for consumption in
the circumstances.

For the remainder of the passage she treated him with a politeness and
good humour through which he strove in vain to break. To her surprise
her father made no objection, at the end of the voyage, when she
coaxingly suggested going back by train; and the mate, as they sat
at dummy-whist on the evening before her departure, tried in vain to
discuss the journey in an unconcerned fashion.

"It'll be a long journey," said Hetty, who still liked him well enough
to make him smart a bit, "What's trumps?"

"You'll be all right," said her father. "Spades."

He won for the third time that evening, and, feeling wonderfully well
satisfied with the way in which he had played his cards generally, could
not resist another gibe at the crestfallen mate.

"You'll have to give up playing cards and all that sort o' thing when
you're married, Jack," said he.

"Ay, ay," said the mate recklessly, "Kitty don't like cards."

"I thought there was no Kitty," said the girl, looking up, scornfully.

"She don't like cards," repeated the mate. "Lord, what a spree we had.
Cap'n, when we went to the Crystal Palace with her that night."

"Ay, that we did," said the skipper.

"Remember the roundabouts?" said the mate.

"I do," said the skipper merrily. "I'll never forget 'em."

"You and that friend of hers,