She came face to face with Larpent.
There was an instant of dead silence, then Toby uttered a little
quivering laugh.
"Hullo--Captain!" she said
"Hullo!" said Larpent, paused a moment, then abruptly took her by the
chin, and, stooping, touched the wide brow with his lips. "All right?" he
asked gruffly.
Toby gave a little gasp; she seemed to be trembling. But in a second she
laughed again, with more assurance. "Yes, all right, captain," she said.
"I--I--I'm glad to see you again. You all right too?"
Bunny, looking on, made the abrupt discovery that Larpent also was
embarrassed. It was Saltash who answered for him, covering the moment's
awkwardness with the innate ease of manner which never seemed to desert
him.
"Of course he's all right. Don't you worry about him! We're going to buy
him another boat as soon as the insurance Company have done talking.
Maud, this is my captain, the finest yachtsman you've ever met and my
very good friend."
He threw his merry, dare-devil glance at Larpent as he made the
introduction, and turned immediately to Jake.
"You two ought to get on all right. He disapproves of me almost as
strongly as you do, and--like you--he endures me, he knows not
wherefore!"
Jake's red-brown eyes held a smile that made his rugged face look kindly
as he made reply.
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