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I have said that the story of Flora de Barral was ie I did not see Marlow for so rather early, very soon after dinner, he turned up infor his call primed with a reone away

"I say," I tackled him at once, "how can you be certain that Flora de

Barral ever went to sea? After all, the wife of the captain of the

Ferndale--" the lady that mustn't be disturbed "of the old

ship-keeper--may not have been Flora"

"Well, I do know," he said, "if only because I have been keeping in touch

with Mr Powell"

"You have!" I cried "This is the first I hear of it And since when?"

"Why, since the first day You went up to town leavingMr Powell came in for breakfast; and after

the first aardness of ht had worn off, we discovered a liking for each other"

As I had discovered the fact of theirbefore either of

them, I was not surprised

"And so you kept in touch," I said