farm, and by the time it's ready--"

"You can't have tea like that," I said. "There'll be a row."

In the dead silence that followed this remark, the Mermaid rose and
brushed the sand from her dress.

I went up to Daphne and kissed her.

"Don't think I'm not proud of you, darling, and Jill looks lovely, too,
but they wouldn't stand it, you know."

No one stirred except the Mermaid, and she, obedient to the
instructions I had given her, strolled naturally enough towards the
path up the cliff. The other four were looking at me straitly--I could
feel their gaze--wondering whether, whether I knew.

I shaded my eyes with my hand and stared seawards.

"Do dress," I said absently.

"We shall dress when we want to," said Daphne sharply.

I turned to see the Mermaiden reach the path. A good start is
everything.

"If you really mean that," I said slowly, "I'll send your other
clothes back again." Then I raised my voice:

"Porter!" I cried.

"Sir!" came from above us.

"Behold, now--"

I let the rest of the quotation go, as I wanted to rejoin the mermaid,
looking as she had last seen me. Berry said afterwards that Jonah
gained on me while the sand lasted, but the loose stones at the foot of
the path were my salvation.

As I passed the porter, I told him to say that a square meal would be
awaiting them at the farm. We ordered it generously enough, but,
despite our hunger, the Mermaid and I decided to have our own tea at
the hotel. Thither we set out to walk through the fields. Suddenly
she stopped as we were crossing a deep lane.

"I don't know why you're here," she said.

"Try and think, Mermaid."

"You'd better go and have another bathe."

"Now, Mermaid, you know--"

"Afterwards you'll be wishing you had given up your tea, if you don't."

"I knew we should have this," I said.

"Well, it wasn't very polite of you, was it?"

"It wouldn't have been."

"She eyed me scornfully for a moment. Then:

"I'm disappointed in you," she said.

"You'll be more so in a moment," said I.

"Why?"

"You're not going to have a change, after all."

"Don't say you're going to make--"

"Love to you? Yes, I am."

She looked me up and down for a moment.

"And this is the man," she said slowly--"this is the man"

"Who said he was not in love with you, and that he didn't want never to
leave your side again. Yes, it is. I might have known better than to
say a thing like that. All the same, it wasn't