“Thank you for your hail as you passed us, Miss Greendale.  It sounded hearty, and really cheered me up, for just at the moment I was in an exceedingly bad temper, I can assure you.  You see, my forebodings came true, and luck was against me.”

“Not luck,” she said, indignantly.  “You would have won but for treachery.”

“Treachery is rather a hard word,” he said.  “However, it is of no use crying over spilt milk.  I have lost, and shall live to fight another day, I hope; and next time I shall win.  Still, you know, there is really nothing to grumble at.  I have been fortunate altogether this season, and as I bought the Osprey as a cruiser, I have done a great deal better with her than I could have expected.”

At this moment another partner of Bertha’s came up, and was about to carry her off, when she said: 

“I suppose the Osprey can sail still, Major Mallett?”

“Oh, yes.  She is a lame duck, you know, but she can get about all right.”

“Well, why don’t you ask mamma and me to take a sail with you tomorrow afternoon?”

“I shall be very happy to do so,” he said, “but I almost think that you had better wait until she gets her spars.  I don’t think that they will be finished before tomorrow evening.  The men can get to work early in the morning, and we can be here by two o’clock next day.”

“No, I think that we will come tomorrow, Major Mallett.

“It will be a novelty to sail in a cripple, won’t it, mamma?

“Besides, you know, or you ought to know, that the day after tomorrow is Sunday, and that at present our plans are arranged for going up to town on Monday.”

“That being so,” Frank said with a smile, “by all means come tomorrow.  Will you come to lunch, or afterwards?”

“Afterwards, I think.  We will be down at the club landing stage at half-past two.”

“Bertha is bent upon taking possession of you tomorrow,” Lady Greendale said, smiling, as the girl turned away; “and I shall be glad for her to have a quiet two or three hours out of the racket.  A large party is very fatiguing, and I think that it has been too much for her.  Yesterday and today she has been quite unlike herself; at one time sitting quiet and saying nothing, at other times rattling away with Miss Haverley and Lady Olive, and absolutely talking down both of them, which I should have thought impossible.  She seems to me to be altogether over-excited.  I thought it would have been a rest for her to get away for a week from the fag in London, but I am sorry now that we came down altogether.  I am a little worried about it, Frank.”

“Well, the season is drawing towards its end now, Lady Greendale, and if you can get a short time at home no doubt it will do you good.  I did not think that Bertha was looking well when I saw her yesterday.”

Frank danced a couple more dances, and then went to Lady Greendale and said: