And the first day they heard him laugh Sir Charles looked down at the white foam because a mist was in his eyes.

They had coasted round Italy and Sicily, and not among the Ionian Isles, as had been Captain Grigsby's intention.

"I fancy the lady came from some of those Balkan countries," Sir Charles had said. "Don't let us get in touch with even the outside of one of them."

And Mark Grigsby had grunted an assent.

"The boy is a fine fellow," he said one morning as they looked at Paul hauling ropes. "He'll probably never get quite over this, but he is fighting like a man, Charles--tell me as much as you feel inclined to of the story."

So Sir Charles began in his short, broken sentences: "Parson's girl to start with--sympathy over a broken collar-bone. The wife behaved unwisely about it, so the boy thought he was in love. We sent him to travel to get rid of that idea. It appears he met this lady in Lucerne--seems to have been an exceptional person--a Russian, Tompson says--a Queen or Princess incog., the fellow tells me--but I can't spot her as yet. Hubert will know who she was, though--but it does not matter--the woman herself was the thing. Gather she was quite a remarkable woman--ten years older than Paul."

"Always the case," growled Captain Grigsby.