wealthy young lady?

The day's outing had two significant results. It put into the

head of the second mate of the Halfmoon that which would

have caused his skipper and the retiring Mr. Divine acute

mental perturbation could they have guessed it; and it put De

Cadenet into possession of information which necessitated his

refusing the urgent invitation to dine upon the yacht, Lotus,

that evening--the information that the party would sail the following

morning en route to Manila.

"I cannot tell you," he said to Mr. Harding, "how much I

regret the circumstance that must rob me of the pleasure of

accepting your invitation. Only absolute necessity, I assure

you, could prevent me being with you as long as possible,"

and though he spoke to the girl's father he looked directly

into the eyes of Barbara Harding.

A young woman of less experience might have given some

outward indication of the effect of this speech upon her, but

whether she was pleased or otherwise the Count de Cadenet

could not guess, for she merely voiced the smiling regrets that

courtesy demanded.

They left De Cadenet at his hotel, and as he bid them

farewell the man turned to Barbara Harding with a low aside.

"I shall see you again, Miss Harding," he said, "very, very

soon."

She could not guess what was in his mind as he voiced this

rather, under the circumstances, unusual statement. Could she

have, the girl would have been terror-stricken; but she saw that

in his eyes which she could translate, and she wondered many

times that evening whether she were pleased or angry with the

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