common
ground, and show an intelligent and comprehensive interest in his work.

Immediately they had gone, Dorothy, who had been waiting in the
corridor, slipped back to her chair, first removing the tea tray from
John Dene's table. Soon she was busily taking down notes.

While she was thus occupied, Sir Lyster was narrating to Sir Bridgman
North the latest John Dene outrage, first his open flouting of the
Chief Naval Constructor by refusing to see him, secondly the
interrupted tea, and the girl perched upon John Dene's table.

Sir Bridgman laughed loudly, as much at the expression on Sir Lyster's
face as at the occurrence itself.

"Such incidents," said Sir Lyster, "are, I think, very undesirable."

"It looks as if John Dene were a dark horse," suggested Sir Bridgman.
"Was the other girl pretty?"

"I really didn't notice," said Sir Lyster stiffly. "I thought perhaps
you might"--he hesitated for a fraction of a second--"just drop him a
hint," he added.

"And be gingered-up as high as our own aerials," laughed Sir Bridgman.
"No, my dear Grayne," he added, "I find 'gingering-up' intensely
interesting in its application to others. Get Blair to do it."

"But I'm afraid it may create a scandal," said Sir Lyster.

"Oh! another little scandal won't do us any harm," laughed Sir
Bridgman. "Now I must be off. By the way," he said, as he reached the
door, "what time did this little tea-fight take place?"

"It was about four o'clock when Winn and I----"

"Right," said Sir Bridgman, "I'll drop in about that time to-morrow and
see what's doing," and the door closed behind him.

A moment later he put his head round the door. "One of these days
you'll be finding Blair with a girl on each knee," he laughed, and with
that he was gone.

John Dene's reason for wishing to have offices somewhere away from the
Admiralty had been twofold. For one thing he did not desire those he
knew were closely watching should see him in close association with
Whitehall; for another he felt that he could breathe more freely away
from gold braid and those long dreary corridors, which seemed so out of
keeping with the headquarters of a Navy at war. He now determined to
get out at once. The constant interruptions to which he found himself
subjected, rendered concentration impossible. He therefore informed
Dorothy that at nine o'clock next morning they would start work in the
new offices he had taken in Waterloo Place. They consisted of