146 The Real Charlotte. 



that he could see. It showed the social poverty of the land 

 that she should speak of him with confidence and even 

 admiration ; it was almost pathetic that she should know no 

 better than to think Roddy Lambert a fine fellow. His 

 thoughts wandered to the upset of the Daphne; what an 

 ass Lambert had made of himself then. If she could know 

 how remarkably near her friend, Mr. Lambert, had come to 

 drowning her on that occasion, she would not, perhaps, 

 have quoted him so largely as a final opinion upon all 

 matters. No one blamed a man for not being able to swim, 

 but the fact that he was a bad swimmer was no excuse for 

 his losing his head and coming cursing and swearing and 

 doing his best to drown everyone else. 



Christopher let Dinah slip on to the floor, and threw the 

 end of his cigarette out of the open window of his room. 

 He listened to the sleepy quacking of a wild-duck, and the 

 far-away barking of the gate-house dog. The trees loomed 

 darkly at the end of the garden ; between them glimmered 

 the pale ghost of the lake, streaked here and there with the 

 long quivering reflections of the stars, and in and through 

 the warm summer night, the darting flight of the bats wove 

 a phantom net before his eyes. The Grieg music still 

 throbbed an untiring measure in his head, and the thought 

 of Lambert gave way to more accustomed meditations. He 

 had leaned his elbows on the sill, and did not move till 

 some time afterwards, when a bat brushed his face with her 

 wings in an attempt to get into the lighted room. Then he 

 got up and yawned a rather dreary yawn. 



** Well, the world's a very pretty place," he said to himself; 

 " it's a pity it doesn't seem to meet all the requirements of 

 the situation." 



He was still young enough to forget at times the conven- 

 tionality of cynicism. 



CHAPTER XX. 



Lieutenant Gerald Hawkins surveyed his pink and 

 newly shaven face above his white tie and glistening shirt- 

 front with a smile of commendation. His moustache was 

 looking its best, and showing most conspicuously. There 



