or another half-hour or more. Good-night."

Mrs. Trappeme had heard his voice, and quietly opened the door of her
own sitting-room, where she and Juliette (Mrs. Wooler had gone) had been
discussing Sheila's delinquencies.

"Well!" gasped the mother to her daughter, as she softly closed the door
again. "What on earth _is_ going on, I should like to know! Did you hear
that--'I want to see you both very early, especially Miss Garolan'? What
_is_ there going on? I must go and see Mrs. Wooler in the morning and
tell her. And on the beach too! Why can't they be more open?"

Master Mordaunt, who was in the corner devouring some jelly and pastry
given to him by his fond mother, looked up and said, with distended
cheeks--

"Ain't the beach open enough?"

"Hold your tongue, you horrid little animal," said the irate Juliette.

CHAPTER XI ~ A CHANGE OF PLANS

Myra and Sheila, both early risers, were dressed and awaiting Grainger
on the verandah when he came out of his room at seven o'clock, and they
at once descended the steep Melton Hill to the beach. The morning was
delightfully fresh and cool, and the smooth waters of Cleveland Bay were
rippling gently to a fresh southerly breeze. Eastward, and seven miles
away, the lofty green hills and darker-hued valleys of Magnetic Island
stood clearly out in the bright sunlight, and further to the north Great
Palm Island loomed purple-grey against the horizon. Overhead was a sky
of clear blue, flecked here and there by a few fleecy clouds, and below,
on the landward side, a long, long curve of yellow beach trending from
a small rocky and tree-clad point on the south to the full-bosomed and
majestic sweep of Cape Halifax to the north.

"What a lovely day!" exclaimed Sheila as Grainger, as soon as they had
descended the hill and stepped on the firm yellow sand, led them to a
clump of black, shining rocks. "I wish I were a girl of twelve, so that
I could paddle about in the water."

"There is nothing to stop you doing that at Minerva Downs, Miss Cardan,"
said Grainger with a smile. "There is a lovely fresh-water lagoon there,
with a dear sandy bottom, and the Farrow children--big and little--spend
a good deal of their time there bathing and fishing." Then, as the girls
seated themselves, he at once plunged into the subject uppermost in his
mind.

"Myra, the news that came through last night has put me in a bit of a
quandary, both as regards you and Miss Carolan. Now tell me, w