The Sea Lady had made one queer mistake. "Your four charming daughters," she said, "and your two sons." "My dear!" cried Mrs. Bunting--they had got through their preliminaries by then--"I've only two daughters and one son!" "The young man who carried--who rescued me?" "Yes. And the other two girls are friends, you know, visitors who are staying with me. On land one has visitors----" "I know. So I made a mistake?" "Oh yes." "And the other young man?" "You don't mean Mr. Bunting." "Who is Mr. Bunting?" "The other gentleman who----" "_No!_" "There was no one----" "But several mornings ago?" "Could it have been Mr. Melville?... _I_ know! You mean Mr. Chatteris! I remember, he came down with us one morning. A tall young man with fair--rather curlyish you might say--hair, wasn't it? And a rather thoughtful face. He was dressed all in white linen and he sat on the beach." "I fancy he did," said the Sea Lady. "He's not my son. He's--he's a friend. He's engaged to Adeline, to the elder Miss Glendower. He was stopping here for a night or so. I daresay he'll come again on his way back from Paris. Dear me! Fancy _my_ having a son like that!" The Sea Lady was not quite prompt in replying. "What a stupid mistake for me to make!" she said slowly; and then with more animation, "Of course, now I think, he's much too old to be your son!" "Well, he's thirty-two!" said Mrs. Bunting with a smile. "It's preposterous." "I won't say _that_." "But I saw him only at a distance, you know," said the Sea Lady; and then, "And so he is engaged to Miss Glendower? And Miss Glendower----?" "Is the young lady in the purple robe who----" "Who carried a book?" "Yes," said Mrs. Bunting, "that's the one. They've been engaged three months." "Dear me!" said the Sea Lady. "She seemed-- And is he very much in love with her?" "Of course," said Mrs. Bunting. "_Very_ much?" "Oh--of _course_. If he wasn't, he wouldn't----" "Of course," said the Sea Lady thoughtfully. "And it's such an excellent match in every way. Adeline's just in the very position to help him----"