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She traced a pattern on the deck with her shoe

"I'm afraid of o,--I thought I had hed heartily

"Are you worrying about that absurd business of poor old Eustace Hignett?"

She started violently

"You know!"

"Of course! He told me himself"

"Do you know him? Where did you meet him?"

"I've known him alla stateroom on board now"

"Eustace is on board! Oh, this is awful! What shall I do when I enial quip Just say: 'Oh, here you are!' or so"

"It will be terrible"

"Not a bit of it Why should you feel embarrassed? He must have realised by now that you acted in the only possible way It was absurd his ever expecting you to marry him I mean to say, just look at it dispassionatelyEustacepoor old Eustaceand you! The Princess and the Swineherd!"

"Does Mr Hignett keep pigs?" she asked, surprised

"I , that, with theyou to ht of a record exhibition of pure nerve A dear, good fellow, of course, but hopeless where the sterner realities of life are concerned A ht! In a world which is practically one seething s, how could you trust yourself to such a one? Nobody is fonder of Eustace Hignett than I am, butwell, I mean to say!"

"I see what you mean He really wasn't my ideal"

"Not by a mile"

She mused, her chin in her hand

"Of course, he was quite a dear in a lot of ways"

"Oh, a splendid chap," said Sa? I think what first attracted s extraordinarily well"

A slight but definite spas poor old Eustace within decent li itself too exclusively to one subject

"Yes?" he said "Oh yes, I've heard hi-roo still, I suppose?"