“Perhaps not,” agreed Captain Cai, but not with entire conviction.

“It was all the answer Captain Hunken gave me, sir.  ‘Dammit,’ he says, ‘Mrs Bowldler, go and lay supper as I tell you, and we’ll talk later.’”

“Supper?  Where?”

“In the summer-house, sir:  which it’s not for me to talk about taking freaks into your head, and the spiders about, or the size o’ them at this time o’ the year.  Captain Hunken and the lady and the other party are at present in your portion of the grounds, hoping that you’ll join them in time for the fireworks; which it all depends if you like mixed company.  And afterwards the guests”—­Mrs Bowldler threw withering scorn into the word—­“the guests is to adjourn to Captain Hunken’s summer-house or what not, there to partake of supper.  And if I’m asked to wait, sir,” she concluded, “I must beg to give notice on the grounds that I’m only flesh and blood.”

“O—­oh!” said Captain Cai reflectively.  It occurred to him that ’Bias had hit on a compromise with some tact.  For the moment he was not thinking of Mrs Bowldler, and did not grasp the full meaning of her ultimatum.

She repeated it.

“Tut—­tut,” said he.  “Who wants you to wait table against your will?  The boy’ll do well enough.”

“Which,” said Mrs Bowldler, “I have took the opportunity of sounding Palmerston, and he offers no objection.”

“Very well, then.”

Mrs Bowldler was visibly relieved.  She heaved a sigh and fired a parting shot.

“I can only trust,” she said, “if Palmerston waits as he’ll catch up with no low tricks.  Boys are so receptive!”

Cai descended to his garden, and at the foot of it found a trio of dark figures by the low fence of the edge of the cliff—­’Bias and Mrs Bosenna in talk together, Dinah standing a little apart.  “But that,” thought he, “is only her place, as I’ve just been hearing.”  He had a just mind and was slow to suspect.  Even now he could not assimilate the poison of Mr Philp’s story.  Everybody knew Mr Philp and his propensities.  As Mr Toy the barber was wont to say, “Philp don’t mean any harm:  he just makes mischief like a bee makes honey.”

So Cai said, “Cheer-o, ’Bias!”—­his usual greeting—­hoped he saw Mrs Bosenna well, and fell in on the other side of her by the breast-rail.  The sky by this time was almost pitch dark, with a star or two shining between somewhat heavy masses of clouds.  He begged Mrs Bosenna to be sure that she was comfortably anchored, as he put it.  The rail was stout and secure; she might lean her weight against it without fear.  He went on to apologise for his late arrival.  The Committee Ship had been at sixes and sevens all day.

“Nobody could have guessed it, from the shore,” said Mrs Bosenna graciously, and appealed to ’Bias.  “Coming through the town I heard it on all hands.”

“Not so bad,” agreed ’Bias, and this, from him, was real praise.