be
down in a minute; come in. Didn't know you were married, old boy," he
whispered, taking Smith by the arm.

"Hush!" said Smith anxiously, hoping that Margaret Bunce had not
caught the words.

Mr. Daventry led them into his dining-room, turned on the lights, and
looked inquiringly at his visitors. The girl was already unpinning her
low cloth hat.

"Why, what on earth--!" exclaimed Mr. Daventry; "what have you been
doing to yourself, Smith?"

"I _am_ a bit of a sweep, no doubt, but you can give me a bath. The
fact is--well, it's plaguey difficult to tell it shortly--but the fact
is I picked up this lady--no, hang it all! Miss Bunce, please help me
out."

"Mr. Smith picked me up, as he says, from a burning ship in mid-ocean,
and was kind enough to bring me here in his aeroplane."

"Sounds simple, don't it?" said Smith, as Mr. Daventry looked from one
to the other in amazement.

"But--I don't understand--mid-ocean--an aeroplane? Mary," he added to
a lady in a dressing-gown who had just entered, "come and listen to
this. You know Charley Smith? Miss--Miss--"

"Margaret Bunce," said the girl, rising.

"My wife. Now, let us all sit down and see if we can make this out. If
I understand aright Miss Bunce was in a burning ship in mid-ocean--"

"Oh, poor thing!" said Mrs. Daventry sympathetically, going to
Margaret and taking her hand.

"And--correct me if I'm wrong--Smith descended out of the clouds,
caught up Miss Bunce, and flew with her to the house of his nearest
friend. Is your aeroplane outside, old man?"

"It's a mile away, in charge of my chauffeur. I think I had better
tell the whole story from the beginning."

"I think so, too; it's rather cloudy at present. Have a cigar--if the
ladies don't mind."

"Well, two days ago I learnt that my father was shipwrecked along
with the company of his survey vessel on one of the Solomons,
practically unarmed, the report says. As the news was taken to
Brisbane by some of the crew in an open boat, they must have been at
the mercy of the savages for a week or more, and probably hard pushed.
Of course a gunboat was to be sent to relieve them, but as every hour
was important I decided to try to get to them in my aeroplane and take
them some ammunition. Last night, coming somewhere south of the
Andamans, we saw a ship on fire; she was adrift, lost her masts and
all boats but one. The captain asked me to send help as soon as I got
here, and Miss Bunce was good enough t