Concluding that, on the whole, the conversation of his friends did not tend to edification, Miles left them and went to one of the starboard gangways, from which he could take a contemplative view of Nature in her beautiful robe of night. Curiously enough, Marion chanced to saunter towards the same gangway, and unexpectedly found him there. "A lovely night, Mr Miles," she remarked. Miles started, and turned with slight confusion in his face, which, happily, the imperfect light concealed. "Beautiful indeed!" he exclaimed, thinking of the face before him--not of the night! "A cool, beautiful night like this," continued the girl--who was of the romantic age of sixteen--"will remain long, I should think, in your memory, and perhaps mitigate, in some degree, the hardships that are before you on the burning sand of Egypt." "The memory of this night," returned Miles, with fervour, "will remain with me _for ever_! It will not only mitigate what you are pleased to call hardships, but will cause me to forget them altogether--forget _everything_!" "Nay, that were impossible," rejoined Marion, with a slight laugh; "for a true soldier cannot forget Duty!" "True, true," said Miles dubiously; "at least it ought to be true; and I have no doubt is so in many cases, but--" What more he might have said cannot now be told, for they were interrupted at the moment by Captain Lacey, who, happening to walk in that direction, stopped and directed Miss Drew's attention to a picturesque craft, with high lateen sails, which had just entered into the silver pathway of the moon on the water. Miles felt that it would be inappropriate in him to remain or to join in the conversation. With a heart full of disappointment and indignation he retired, and sought refuge in the darkest recesses of the pantry, to which he was welcome at all times, being a great favourite with the steward. Whether it was the smell of the cheese or the ketchup we know not, but here better thoughts came over our hero. Insignificant causes often produce tremendous effects. The touching of a trigger is but a small matter; the effects of such a touch are sometimes deadly as well as touching. Possibly the sugar, if not the cinnamon, may have been an element in his change of mind. At all events it is safe to say that the general smell of groceries was associated with it.