do you mean?" he demanded.

His sister explained.

"Do you mean to tell me that you've been speaking to young Hardy?"
exclaimed the captain.

"I could hardly help doing so, when he came here," returned his sister,
with dignity. "He has been very anxious about you."

Captain Nugent rose and strode up and down the room. Then he stopped and
glanced sharply at his daughter.

"Were you here when he called?" he demanded.

"Yes," was the reply.

"And you--you spoke to him?" roared the captain.

"I had to be civil," said Miss Nugent, calmly; "I'm not a sea-captain."

Her father walked up and down the room again. Mrs. Kingdom, terrified at
the storm she had evoked, gazed helplessly at her niece.

"What did he come here for?" said the captain.

Miss Nugent glanced down at her plate. "I can't imagine," she said,
demurely. "The first time he came to tell us what had become of you."

The captain stopped in his walk and eyed her sternly. "I am very
fortunate in my children," he said, slowly. "One is engaged to marry the
daughter of the shadiest rascal in Sunwich, and the other--"

"And the other?" said his daughter, proudly, as he paused.

"The other," said the captain, as he came round the table and put his
hand on her shoulder, "is my dear and obedient daughter."

"Yes," said Miss Nugent; "but that isn't what you were going to say. You
need not worry about me; I shall not do anything that would displease
you."

CHAPTER XVIII

With a view to avoiding the awkwardness of a chance meeting with any
member of the Nugent family Hardy took the sea road on his way to the
office the morning after the captain's return. Common sense told him
to leave matters for the present to the healing hand of Time, and to
cultivate habits of self-effacement by no means agreeable to one of his
temperament.

Despite himself his spirits rose as he walked. It was an ideal spring
morning, cool and sunny. The short turf by the side of the road was
fragrant under his heel, and a light wind stirred the blueness of the
sea. On the beach below two grizzled men of restful habit were
endeavouring to make an old boat waterproof with red and green paint.

A long figure approaching slowly from the opposite direction broke into a
pleasant smile as he drew near and quickened his pace to meet him.

"You're out early," said Hardy, as the old man stopped and turned with
him.

"'Ave to be, sir," said Mr. Wilks, darkly; "out early a