that word he lowered his voice; it was a word that seemed to unveil
the skies for Rachel.

"It's an odd thing to say to a young lady," he continued. "But have you
any idea what--what I mean by that? No, of course not. I don't use the
word in a conventional sense. I use it as young men use it. Girls are
kept very ignorant, aren't they? Perhaps it's wise--perhaps--You _don't_
know?"

He spoke as if he had lost consciousness of what he was saying.

"No; I don't," she said, scarcely speaking above her breath.

"Warships, Dick! Over there! Look!" Clarissa, released from Mr. Grice,
appreciative of all his seaweeds, skimmed towards them, gesticulating.

She had sighted two sinister grey vessels, low in the water, and bald
as bone, one closely following the other with the look of eyeless beasts
seeking their prey. Consciousness returned to Richard instantly.

"By George!" he exclaimed, and stood shielding his eyes.

"Ours, Dick?" said Clarissa.

"The Mediterranean Fleet," he answered.

"The _Euphrosyne_ was slowly dipping her flag. Richard raised his hat.
Convulsively Clarissa squeezed Rachel's hand.

"Aren't you glad to be English!" she said.

The warships drew past, casting a curious effect of discipline and
sadness upon the waters, and it was not until they were again invisible
that people spoke to each other naturally. At lunch the talk was all
of valour and death, and the magnificent qualities of British admirals.
Clarissa quoted one poet, Willoughby quoted another. Life on board a
man-of-war was splendid, so they agreed, and sailors, whenever one met
them, were quite especially nice and simple.

This being so, no one liked it when Helen remarked that it seemed to her
as wrong to keep sailors as to keep a Zoo, and that as for dying on a
battle-field, surely it was time we ceased to praise courage--"or to
write bad poetry about it," snarled Pepper.

But Helen was really wondering why Rachel, sitting silent, looked so
queer and flushed.

Chapter V

She was not able to follow up her observations, however, or to come to
any conclusion, for by one of those accidents which are liable to happen
at sea, the whole course of their lives was now put out of order.

Even at tea the floor rose beneath their feet and pitched too low again,
and at dinner the ship seemed to groan and strain as though a lash
were descending. She who had been a broad-backed dray-horse, upon whose
hind-quarters pierrots might wal