The morning times., 1895-10-13
BY Robert Barr
Auuthor of "The Face and Mask" I'm the
Midst of Alarms," etc.
Copyright, 1895. by Robert Barr,
CHAPTER III.

CHAPTER III.
Next morning Wentworth worked his
way, with much balancing and holding on
of stanchions, along the deck, for the ship
rolled fearfully, although there seemed
to be little wind, aud the snn was shining
brightly, but the person he sought was
nowhere visible. He thought he would
go into the smoking room, but changed his
mind at the door, and turned down the
conIpanionway to the main saloon Inc
tables had been cleared of the breakfast
belongings, but on one OF the small iapies
white cloth had been laid. and at this
spot of purity In the general effect OF red
push sat Miss Brewster, who was com
pacently ordering what She wanted from
the steward, who did not seem AT allpleased
in serving one WHO had disregarucd the
breakfast hour 10 the uisarraDgemcrt of all
saloon rules. The chief steward stood by
q door and looked disapproviugly at the
late guest. 1t was n lnIost time To lay the
tables for munch, and the young woman was
as calmly ordering her breakfast as If she
had been the first personatthetable.
She looked up brightly NJ Wentworth,
and smiled as he approached her.
II suppose" she began, I'm dreadfully
late, and the steward looks as if he would
ike to scold me. How awfuily the ship is
rolling. Is there Il storni?'
mo. She seems to be doing this sort
of thing for amusement. Wants to make
St interesting for the unfortunate passengers
who are not good sailors, suppose She
Is doing it, too. There's scarcely any
one on deck"
Dear me. ! thought we were having a
dreadful storm. Is it raining?"
mo. It's beautiful sunshlny day; with
out much wind, either. in, spite of all this
row."
II suppose you have had your breakfast
long ago.
$50 long since that am beginning to look
forward with pleasant anticipation to
lunch"
"oh, dear! l had no idea that l was so
late as that. Perhaps You had better scold
me. Somebody ought to do it, and the
steward seems little afraid"
"You overestimate my courage. / am
little afraid, too
"Then you do think l deserve it?''
81 didn't say that, nor do think it. l con-
1ess, however. that up to this moment / felt
Just trifle lonely"
"Justa triflei Well thatisrlattery. How
nicely you English do turn a compliment.
Just a trifle.'
II believe, as race, we do not venture
much into compliment giving at all. We
leave that for the politeroreigner. He would
say what tried to say great deal better
than did, of course; but he would not mean
half so much
"oh, that's very nice, Mr. Wentworth. No
foreigner could have put it nearly SO well.
Now what about going on deck?
Anywhere, if you let me eaccumpany you"
az shall be most delighted to haye you. l
won't say merely trifle delighted
"Ahi Haven't you forgiven that remark
yeti"
There's nothing to forgive, and it quite
too delicious to forget. shall never forget
IT"
"Ibelieve that you are very cruelat heart
Miss Brewster"
The young woman gave him a curious side
look, but did not answer. She gathered the
wraps she had taken from her cabin, and,
handing them to him before he had thought
of offering to take them, they went on deck.
He found their chairs side by side, and ad-
mired the Intelligence of the deck steward,
who seemed TO understand what chairs to
place together. Miss Jennie sank gracefully
into her own, and allowed MN TO ADJUST
the wraps around her.
'There" she said, that's very nicely
done; as well as the deck steward himself
could do 1t, and l am sure 1t is impossible
to pay you a more graceful compliment
than that. So few men know how to ar
range one comfortably in steaTper chair"
"You speak as though you had vast expe-
rleDce IN siedlueT NE. anu Scb you loiu
me this was your first voyage"
1T is But it doesn't take woman
more than a day to see that the average
man attends TO such little niceties very
ciunsily Now, just tuck in the corner
out of sight. There; thank you ever somuch
And would you be kind enough to-yes,
that's better And this other wrap so. ON,
that is perfect What a patient man you
are, Mr.. Wentworth"
p,-, mo n fnrnUnQr
] can see that now. Your professed compli-
ment washollow. You said Ibid itperfecuy,
and then Immediately directed me how to do
it."
"Nothing of the kind YoI did IT we'll and
Think YOU ought not to grudge me the pleas
ure of adding my own little Improvements.
"Oh, if you put itthat way willnot. Now,
before sit down tell me what book / canget
that will interest you. The library contains
a very good assortment"
az don't think / care about reading. Sit
down and talk. / suppose am too indolent
to-day. Thought whenI came boardthat
] would do lot of reading, butI believe the
sea air makes one lazy. Imust confess feel
entirely indIfferentto mentalimprovement."
"You evidently do not think my conver-
sation Will be at all worth listening to.
'How quick you are to pcrvcrt my mean
ing. Don't you see that think your con-
the most interesting or improving book you
can choose from the library? Really, in
trying to avoid giving you cause for max
ing such n remark, i have apparently
stumbled into a worse error. / was just
going TO say ] would like your conver-
sation much better than a book, " hen
thought you would take that as q reflection
on your reading. If you take me so sharply
] will sit here and say nothing. Now, then,
talk"
what shall say?"
"Oh, If told ycu W hat TO say, i should
be doing the talking. Tell me about your
self What do you do in London"
81 work hard. 1 am an accountant"
"And what is an accountant? What
does be do? Keep accounts?"
"Some of them do; ! do not ] see,
rather, that accounts other people keep
have been correctly kept"
"Arn't they always correctly kept? I
thought that was what bookkeeDers were
hired for"
"If books were always correctly kept
there would be little for us to do; but it
happens, unfortunately for some but FORUM
ately for us, that people occasionally do not
keep their accounts accurately"
"And can you always find that out il
you examine the books?''
always"
Cant manmake his saccounts so that no
one can tell that there is anything w rong?"
"The belief that such thing can be done
has placed many poor wretch in prison. 1t
has been tried often enough"
az am sure they can do 1t in the States.
have read of it being done and continued
for years. Men have made off with great
sums of money by falsifying the books. and
no one found il out until the one who did it
died or ran away"
"Nevertheless, if an expert accountant had
been called in, he would have found out very.
soon that something was wrong, and just