rle was
among them. Charlie stood and watched, yelling advice and
encouragement.

"Looking on as usual?" the girl said to him presently, with a bitter
little smile, as she found herself near him.

He nodded.

"I'm really afraid to speak to you to-day," he said. "Your skirt will
never again bear the light of day."

"What happened?" she said briefly.

The game was over, and they strolled away together across the deck.

"I'll tell you," he said, with ill-suppressed gaiety in his voice. "We
should all have been blown out of the water last night if it hadn't been
for me. Forgetful of my finery, I went and--looked on. The magic result
was that I saved the situation, and--incidentally, of course--the ship."

He stopped.

"You don't believe me?" he said abruptly.

Her lip curled a little.

"Do you really expect to be believed?" she said.

"I don't know," he said; "I thought it was the usual thing to do between
friends."

"I was not aware--" began Molly.

He broke in with a most disarming smile.

"Oh, please," he said. "I don't deserve that--anyhow. I'm awfully sorry
about the skirt. I hope you'll let me bear the cost of the damage. I've
got into hot water all round. Nobody will believe I'm seriously sorry,
though it's a fact for all that. Don't be hard on me, Molly, I say!"

There was a note of genuine pleading in the last words that induced her
to relent a little.

"Oh, well, I'll forgive you for the skirt," she said. "I suppose boys
can't help being mischievous, though you are nearly old enough to know
better."

She looked at him as she said it. His face was comically penitent.
Somehow she could not quarrel with the lurking smile in his merry eyes.
He was certainly a boy. He would never be anything else. But Molly did
not realise this, and she was still too young herself to have
appreciated the gift of perpetual youth had she been aware of its
existence.

"That's right!" said Charlie cheerily. "And perhaps"--he spoke
cautiously, with a half-deprecatory glance at her bright
face--"perhaps--in time, you know--you will be able to forgive me for
something else as well."

"I think the less we say about that the better," remarked Molly, tilting
her chin a little.

"All right!" said Charlie equably. "Only, you know"--his voice was
suddenly grave--"I was--and am--in earnest."

Molly laughed.

"So far as in you lies, I suppose?" she said indifferently. "I wonder if
you ever really did anything worth doi