drooping before the breeze, every sail set;
suddenly comes on a storm we are taken
aback we fly to the ropes, the hawsers
—but it is too late. The squall is down on
them in a second the whole is a po-oor
helpless wreck!" All the nautical men
remarked confusion in this nautical
description, and pointed out the mistake;
and the mate of the Almandine was heard
to say, as he came out, that " that ere
must have been a clumsy crew, mate,"
while a second, with some vehemence,
"that that ere skipper had best stick to
his own business, seeing as how he didn't
know a rope from a hawser;" while a
third, affecting to see an allusion to the
Morna, said, " It was unfair for a parson
to be prejudicing the race. But she'd
beat in spite of all the black gentry that
ever rode in a pulpit."

On coming out the doctor received
compliments from the distinguished party. At
the same moment a tall good-looking man,
in a yachting surtout, came up. He had
a hard face, and was bald. He seemed as
though he had " lived a great deal," and
was greeted by the young man.

"Hallo, Dudley, what you coming to
church?" he said, good-humouredly—
"Prince, let me introduce Colonel Dudley."

The doctor was beside them already, an
improvised equerry. The crowd of fashion
lingered reluctantly, and the doctor's open
carriage was waiting.

"The prince and Mr. Conway are coming
up to lunch," said the doctor, in a voice
that could be heard beyond the church.
"If you will come, Colonel Dudley——"

The other was looking back to the
church door, expecting some one to come
out; then, without answering, broke away,
as it were, and went to join the baronet
and his daughter.

The doctor " blew" a little, and got red.
"A man of no manners, Mr. Conway,"
he said. "Lives altogether a vagabond
life."

"Oh I see," said Mr. Conway, with
interest; "those must be the people he is
always talking about."

"You see how it is, Mr. Conway," said
the doctor. " A true Formanton, sir. Yes,
a vulgar longing after the heiress. Will you
get in, prince?"

"But, your daughter and family?" said
the prince, politely.

" O, pooh!" said the doctor, as if to the
servants; " they've got home someway,
never fear."

The three gentlemen got in, and the
carriage drove away to The Beeches. The
doctor talked all the time, and described—
for he knew the country as well as a"
lecturer" does his panorama. Sometimes Mr.
Conway questioned him, and seemed to
reflect on what he said.

"Curious," he said, after a pause,
"Dudley's turning up here. We last saw
him on the Nile."

"Dear, dear!" said the doctor, bursting
with enthusiasm. " There are wheels, you
see, dozens of 'em within each other.
That's his cousin, our heiress, the future
baronetess, as my son calls her."

"But he's married," said Conway, gravely:
"it seems strange, does it not?"

"My dear sir, there's no being up to men
of that sort. He quite hangs about Panton
—a cousin, you know. And she, the wife,
was such a strange, ill-regulated, dreadful
person."

"Here we are!" said the doctor several
times, almost at each sweep of the avenue.
"Here we are," is always accepted by the
person to whom it is addressed with a sort
of surprise and gratitude, though he is
already in possession of the information.
At the hall door, the doctor said " Here we
are," for the last time, and got out.

CHAPTER IV. THE LUNCH.

HE led his two guests in, and as he did
so, a young girl came to meet them. " This
is my daughter Jessica," said tke doctor,
scarcely with the importance that he would
have said, " this is our front drawing-
room."

It occurred to Mr. Conway, and to the
German prince, what a " strange girl this
was," what a quickness and spirit in the
motion of her eye and head, what a cha-
racter there was. She seemed to chal-
lenge them, inquire what was in their
thoughts, to colour as she read those
thoughts. She was about one-and-twenty,
and was a girl that could make her own
way.

"An invasion!" said the prince, in good
English; "an invasion, Miss Bailey."

"Not at all," she said. " Papa asked you,
and we are so glad."

Smart, thought Conway, or she thinks
herself so. A pity. He would give her
another chance.

"Sunday is so dull in harbour," he began
and paused.

A really smart girl, he thought, could
not let this chance go, but must reply,
"And Mr. Conway only comes to us to