The Spectator., 1915-05-21
CHAPTER l.
His Britannic Majesty's Service.

interests us?"
 Yes, signore," replied the tall, thin Italian consular clerk, speaking with strong accent. An English steam yacht ran aground on the Meloria about ten miles out. and was discov- cred by fishing boat that brought the news to harbor. The admiral sent out two torpedo boats, which managed alter lot of difficulty to bring in the yacht safely, but the captain of the port has a suspicion that the crew were trying to make away with the vessel"
 To lose her, you mean?"
 Francesca nodded.
 Sounds curious" remarked. Since the consul went away on leave things seem to have been humming- two stabbing affrays, eight drunken seamen locked up, a mutiny on a tramp steamer, and now yacht being cast away-a fairly decent list! And yet some stay-at-home people com plain that British consuls are only paid to be ornamental! They should spend a week here, at Leghorn, and they'd soon alter their opinion"
 Yes, they would, signore," respond ed the thin-lipped old fellow with a grin, as he twisted his fierce gray mus tache. Franceso Carducci was a we'll kroSa character in Leghorn. An honest, good-hearted. easy-going fel- low. who for twenty years had occu. pied the same position under half a dozen different consuls.
 My old friend. Frank Hutcheson, his Britannia majesty's viceconsul at the port of Leghorn. was away on leave Tn England. his duties being relegated to young Bertram Cavendish, the pro- consul. The latter, however, had gone down with bad touch of malaria, and l, the only other Englishman in Leg horn. had been asked by the consul general in Florence to act as pro-con- sul until Hutcheson's return.
 was mid-July, and the weather was blazing in the glaring sun blanched Mediterranean town. If you know Leghorn. you probably know the consulate, a large. handsome suite Of huge, airy offices facing the cathe- dral. The legend painted upon the door, Office hours, 10 to B." gives one the idea of an easy appointment, but such is certainly not the case, for consuls life at a port of discharge must necessarily be very active one.
 Carducci had left me to the core spondence for a half an hour or SO. when he re-entered. saying:
 There is an English signore wait. ing to see you"
 Who is he?'
 ''I don't know him. He will give no name, but wants to see the signore console"
 All right. show him in" I said lazi- ly. and few moments later a tall, smartly-dressed. middle-aged English man entered. and lowing, inquired whether was the British consul.
 When he had seated himself l ex- plained my position, whereupon he said: T couldn't make much out of your clerk. He speaks so brokenly. and don't know word of Italian. But perhaps l ought to first introduce myself. My name is Philip Hornby," and he handed me a card bearing the name with the addresses "Woodcroft Park, Somerset - Brooks" Then he added: T am cruising on board my yacht, the Lola, and last night we unfortunately went aground on the Meloria. Very fortunately for us a fishing boat saw our plight and gave the alarm at port. The admiral sent out two torpedo boats and tug. and after about three hours they managed to get us of"
 And you are now in harbor?"
 Yes. But the reason I've called is to ask you to do me favor and write me a letter of thanks in Italian to the admiral. and one to the captain of the port-polite letters that can copy and send to them. You know the kind of thing"
 Certainly" replied. the more in- tehested in him on account of the cu- riOus suspicion that the port authori- ties seemed to entertain. He was eyi- dently gentleman. and after I had been with him ten minutes l secuted the idea that he had endeayored to cast away the Lola.
 scrubbed the drafts of two letters
 Fortunately, left my wife in Eng. land, or she would have been ter. ribly frightened" he remarked pres ently There was nasty wind blow ing all night. and the fool of a cap tain seemed to add to our peril by every order he gave"
 ] examined him critically as he sat ocsTG p'S. He was about forty-five, with merry. round, good-natured face. red with the southern sun. blue eyes. and short. fair beard His speech was refined and cultivated. and us we chatted he gave me the i'm precision that as an enthusiastic lover Of the sea he had cruised the Mediter- ranean many times from Gibraltar up to Smyrna. He had. however. never