It was a lovely day in early June. There was neither a cloud in the sky nor the white crest of a wave out at sea; the one was as serenely blue as the other; and the _Calais-Douvre_ rode in with a high-bred calm and dignity all in key with the occasion. Claude boarded her before he had any right, with a sudden dereliction of his characteristic caution. And there was old Cripps, sunburnt and grim, with a soft felt hat on his head, and a strange spasmodic twitching at the corners of the mouth. "Here you are!" cried Claude, gripping hands. "Well, where is he?" The lawyer's lips went in and out, and a rough-looking bystander chuckled audibly. "One thing quickly," whispered Claude: "is he a married man?" "No, he isn't." The bystander laughed outright. Claude favoured him with a haughty glance. "His servant, I presume?" "No," said Cripps hoarsely. "I must introduce you. The Duke of St. Osmund's--your kinsman, Mr. Claude Lafont." Claude felt the painful pressure of a horny fist, and gasped. "Proud to meet you, mister," said the Duke. "So delighted to meet and welcome _you_, Duke," said Claude faintly. "I'm afraid I'm a bit of a larrikin," continued the Duke. "You'd have done as well to leave me where I was--but now I'm here you've got to call me Jack." "You knew, of course, what would happen sooner or later?" said Claude, with a sickly smile. "Not me. My colonial oath, I did _not_! Never dreamt of it till I seen _him_"--with a jerk of his wideawake towards Mr. Cripps. It was a very different felt hat from that gentleman's; the crown rose like a sugar-loaf, nine inches from the head; the brim was nearly as many inches wide; and where the felt touched the temples it was stained through and through with ancient perspiration. "And I can't sight it now!" added his Grace. "Nevertheless it's true," said Mr. Cripps. Claude was taking in the matted beard, the peeled nose, and the round shoulders of the ninth Duke. He was a bushman from top to toe. "What luggage have you?" exclaimed Claude, with a sudden effort. "We must get it ashore." "This is all," said the Duke, with a grin. It lay on the deck at their feet: a long cylinder whose outer case was an old blue blanket, very neatly rolled and strapped; an Australian saddle, with enormous knee-pads, black with age; and an extraordinary cage like a rabbit-hutch. The cage was full of cats. The Duke insisted on carrying it ashore himself. "This _is_ the man?" whispered Claude, jealously, to Mr. Cripps. "The man himself; there's an eagle on his chest as large as life." "But it might be a coincidence----" "It might be, but it isn't," replied Cripps shortly. "He's the Duke all right; the papers I shall show you are quite conclusive. I own he doesn't look the part. He's not tractable. He would come as he is. I heaved one old hat overboard; but he had a worse in his swag. However, no one on board knew who he was. I took care of that." "God bless you, Cripps!" said Claude Lafont.