Miss
Melrose, my humble regards to you. Is the black mark still against my
name?"
Sheila looked at him with a touch of _hauteur_ that somehow melted into a
smile. She had learnt her lesson at Valrosa, and there was nothing to add
thereto. This man was never in earnest, and he had never intended her
to think him so.
"I banned you as bold and bad long ago," she said. "I don't remember that
you have done anything to change the impression."
He laughed lightly, enigmatically. "Nothing in your presence, I fear. The
Fates have always been sportive so far as I was concerned. But really I'm
not such a bad sort now-a-days, am I, Mrs. Bolton?"
Maud smiled upon him. "Not so bad, I think. But please don't ask me to be
your sponsor! I really couldn't play the part."
"Ask me!" said Toby suddenly, with flushed face up-raised. "He saved my
life when _The Night Moth_ went down, when most men would only have
bothered to save their own."
"What a libel!" laughed Saltash. "Don't you know I only hung on to you
because you had a life-belt on!"
"Oh, naturally!" said the General. "That would be your motive. I was
sorry to hear about _The Night Moth_, but you had a lucky escape."
"I always escape somehow," remarked Saltash complacently.
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