The Real Charlotte. 99 



to the other side of the tiny cockpit, and climbed up on to 

 the seat by Mr. Lambert, just in time to see a very fair imi- 

 tation of a wave break on the weather bow and splash 

 a sparkling shower into Christopher's face. 



"Oh, Mr. Dysart ! are you drowned?" she screamed 

 ecstatically. 



** Not quite," he called back, his hair hanging in dripping 

 points on his forehead as he took off his cap and shook the 

 water out of it. " I say, Lambert, it's beginning to blow 

 pretty stiff; I'd take that top-sail off her, if I were 

 you." 



"She's often carried it in worse weather than this," 

 returned Lambert ; '' a drop of water will do no one any 

 harm." 



Mr. Lambert in private, and as much as possible in 

 public, affected to treat his employer's son as a milksop, 

 and few things annoyed him more than the accepted 

 opinion on the lake that there was no better man in a boat 

 than Christopher Dysart. His secret fear that it was true 

 made it now all the more intolerable that Christopher 

 should lay down the law to him on a point of seamanship, 

 especially with Francie by, ready in that exasperating way 

 of hers to laugh at him on the smallest provocation. 



" It'll do him no harm if he does get a drop of water 

 over him," he said to her in a low voice, forgetting for the 

 moment his attitude of disapproval. " Take some of the 

 starch out of him for once ! " He took a pull on the main 

 sheet, and, with a satisfied upward look at the top-sail in 

 question, applied himself to conversation. The episode 

 had done him good, and it was with almost fatherly serious- 

 ness that he began : 



" Now, Francie, you were telling me a while ago that I 

 was cross all day. I'm a very old friend of yours, and 

 I don't mind saying that I was greatly put out by the way " 

 — he lowered his voice — '' by the way you were going on 

 with that fellow Hawkins." 



" I don't know what you mean by ' going on,' " interrupted 

 Francie, with a slight blush. " What's the harm in talking 

 to him if he likes to talk to me ? " 



*' Plenty of harm," returned Lambert quickly, " when he 

 makes a fool of you the way he did to-day. If you don't 



