y. "Did I ever let any one beat me in anything
when I could prevent it?" he asked.

"There you are," Huntington waved his arms dramatically. "We admit
ourselves temporarily defeated, but not disgraced. As for myself, I
shall immediately go into strict training, in an endeavor to alter my
lines from endurance to speed."

The Thatchers strolled along the edge of the pool and seated themselves
on one of the benches at the farther end of the enclosure.

"Here come Edith and Philip Hamlen," Marian called her husband's
attention to the new arrivals; "where do you suppose she found him?"

"Hello, people," Edith greeted them. "Mr. Hamlen has been waiting for
you in the hotel, and I told him I thought we should find you here. This
looks to me like a perfectly good party."

"Come sit with us," Thatcher urged, drawing up another bench. "We
elderly folk will watch the children at play."

Edith suddenly caught sight of Cosden and she perceptibly stiffened.
"Children!" she echoed, with an inflection of her voice and a toss of
the head which attracted Marian's attention. "How is it that Mr. Cosden
goes into the water? I should think he would be afraid of rust."

"I supposed it was by your orders, Edith," Marian said smiling. "Isn't
he still acting under your instructions? But why 'rust'?"

"Certainly not by any orders of mine," she replied with emphasis. "What
he needs as an adviser is a machinist to keep that wonderful business
head of his in repair. Wouldn't you think it would rust if he got it
wet?"

Edith's new attitude was more intelligible to Marian than to the men,
but discretion suggested a change of subject.

"Harry is taking us home with him on Monday," she announced, suddenly
turning to Hamlen and watching him narrowly as she spoke.

"On Monday?" Hamlen repeated after her. The color rushed into his
usually pale face, and a tremor in his voice showed how much the news
affected him. "You are going Monday?"

"The Thatcher family intact," Marian answered him; "I don't know about
the others."

"Of course Ricky and I go when you do," Edith added. "I'm quite ready.
The place is beginning to pall on me."

There was an injured look in Hamlen's face as he turned to her quickly.
"Don't say that of my beautiful island!" he begged.

"Oh, the place is all right," Edith assured him; "it is simply some of
the foreign element I don't like."

"Must you really go?" Hamlen asked Thatcher appealingly.

"It is my master's vo