“Do you think we ought to sit here? Suppose some officers come down?” Sentley suggested. In the training cruiser it had been the custom for cadets to sit on the cabin’s roof. “Well, so long as there is room for them it’s all right,” Fane-Herbert said; “and if there isn’t room, then we can go into that inner cabin. I’m not going out on to the roof in this weather and these clothes.” “Yes.... I know that sounds reasonable enough, but don’t you think that, as we are junior snotties just joining the ship, it would be better to move off into the inner cabin _anyhow_ if any officers come--whether there is room for them or not. You see, there isn’t much space where we are, and it might get us a bad name to start off with, and----” “And you are the senior of us,” Lynwood laughed. “Poor Sentley! The sins of us all will be visited on you as well as on ourselves.... Let’s move in if any officers come. It’s as well to be on the safe side.” While they spoke the boat’s crew were getting their sea-chests down into the sailing pinnace. “Any more to come?” Ollenor shouted. “All on board, sir.” “The luggage too?” “All on board, sir.” “All right. Jump in.... Pinnace, get your painter aft, and shove your bows out.” At this moment a thin, pale man, wearing a bowler hat, appeared at the top of the steps and began to descend them with what speed their slipperiness would permit. “Hold on,” said Ollenor. The man came across the pinnace and jumped into the picket-boat’s cabin. Sentley glanced at him, hesitated a moment, and then retired into the inner cabin, whither the others followed him. “Who do you think that is?” “An engineer, probably.” “But does even an engineer officer go ashore in a bowler hat?” “I don’t know.” “I don’t believe it’s an officer at all.” “It must be. He’s wearing plain clothes.” “At any rate, we are on the safe side--coming in here,” said Sentley.