imagine that might be more in your line."

Again the girl's lip curled. She said nothing for a moment, then
deliberately, for the first time in her life, she snubbed him. "No, I
should never try to charm--a beast, Lord Saltash."

"You prefer them savage?" countered Saltash.

She made a careless gesture with one hand, without replying. She did not
even look towards him. "I think Miss Larpent might be quite clever in
that respect," she said. "She is--a born charmer."

"By Jove!" he said. "What a cruel compliment!"

Sheila said nothing. She was watching a small boat rowing steadily
towards them through the dark water, with eyes that were grave and fixed.

Saltash's look followed hers, and he grimaced to himself, oddly, wryly,
as a man who accomplishes a task for which he has no liking. Then in a
moment he turned the conversation. "Did you ever meet Rozelle Daubeni,
the enchantress?"

Sheila's soft eyes came to him at the sudden question. "No. I have heard
of her. I have never met her. I don't want to meet her. Why?"

He threw her a daring glance. "It would do you good to meet her. She is a
born charmer if you like. She charms women as well as men--and beasts."

"An adventuress!" said Sheila.

"Yes, an adventuress. One of the most wonderful, I should say, who ever
lived. She is in Paris just now. When she comes to England--" again his
look dared her--"I will take you to see her. It will be--an education
for you."

"Thank you," Sheila said.

He laughed aloud, and suddenly stretched his hand to her with a movement
of good fellowship. "I'm only teasing. Don't be cross! I wouldn't take
you to see her for all the gold of Ophir. She is rotten--too rotten even
for me, which is saying much."

Sheila hesitated momentarily before she gave her hand.

"Why did you speak of her? What brought her to your mind?"

He glanced again towards the little boat now drawing near to the yacht,
but he did not answer her question till her hand met his.

"I have--a somewhat elastic mind," he said then, and smiled his most
baffling smile. "It was your talk of charmers that did it. I was trying
to think of all I had met."

"All the Rozelles and the Tobies!" said Sheila, with a hard little laugh.

He gripped her hand and released it. "I have never met more than one of
each," he said. "Which may be the secret of their charm. Don't class them
together in your mind for a moment! Larpent's daughter may be a born
charmer. Young Bunny Bri