l companion. He maintained the attitude of stiff
disapproval with which he had all along regarded Salissa and
everything connected with that island. He gave Gorman to understand
that he meant to do his duty to his employers, to obey orders
faithfully, to carry ridiculous things and foolish people to and fro
between Salissa and England; but that he in no way approved of the
waste of a good ship, quantities of coal and the energies of officers
like himself over the silly fad of a wealthy young woman.

Phillips, on the other hand, was friendly from the start. He and
Gorman spent many hours together on the bridge or in the cabin. The
weather was fine and warm. The _Ida_ slipped quietly across the Bay,
found calm days and velvety nights off the coast of Portugal, carried
her good luck with her through the Straits of Gibraltar.

A much duller man than Gorman would not have failed to discover that
Phillips was deeply in love with the young Queen of Salissa. All talk
worked back to her sooner or later. And Phillips became eloquent about
her. With naive enthusiasm he praised her beauty. He raved about the
sweetness of her disposition. He struggled hard for words which would
describe her incomparable charm.

Gorman says he liked listening to the boy. He himself has never
married, so far as I know has never been in love. I suppose there was
a certain freshness about Phillips' raptures. He must have been an
attentive listener and he must have shown some sort of sympathy, for
in the end Phillips became very confidential. I daresay, too, that
Gorman found the whole thing highly amusing when he recollected the
Emperor's plan of marrying Miss Donovan to King Konrad Karl. Phillips
was just the sort of obstacle which would wreck the plan, and the
Emperor would never condescend to consider that a subordinate officer
in the British Merchant Service could be of any importance. There was
a flavour about the situation which delighted Gorman.

"When do you mean to marry her?" he asked, one evening.

"Marry her!" said Phillips. "I never thought--I mean I never dared to
hope----It would be such beastly cheek, wouldn't it? to expect----"

He looked at Gorman, pathetically anxious for some crumb of
encouragement.

"She's a queen, you know," said Phillips, "and an heiress, and all
that. I'm only----I haven't a penny in the world except what I earn."

The boy sighed.

"I don't see why that should stop you," said Gorman.

"Do you really t