"Now," he said to Callaghan, "trot out your news. Have they got engaged?" "They have not," said Callaghan. "Then I suppose there must have been what you call impropriety of conduct. If so--" "There has not," said Callaghan. "That's just as well; for if there had been, I should have had to ask you to wait before giving me details until the Major had gone a good bit of the way home. He's an unmarried man, and I don't think it would be good for him to--" "There was no impropriety of conduct that I seen," said Callaghan. "Well, it can't be helped. I should have been glad, of course, to hear that Simpkins had been pushing his way on a bit, holding her hand or something of that kind. I suppose, now, if anything of the sort occurred you'd be sure to have seen it." "Don't I tell you there wasn't," said Callaghan; "nor there couldn't have been, for Simpkins wasn't near the place since the afternoon you was in it yourself." "What! Do you mean to say--?" "He was in it the once," said Callaghan, "not long after you leaving, and barring that she gave him a cup of tea there was nothing passed between them, and I wouldn't say he was there half an hour." "Do you hear that, Major? That silly ass Simpkins has actually flung away a priceless opportunity. He hasn't been near her." "I'm glad to hear it," said Major Kent. "Perhaps now you'll stop your foolish games." "Could she have gone out to meet him anywhere?" said Meldon to Callaghan. "She could not. It wouldn't be possible for her to do the like unbeknown to me, for I had my eye on her." "All day?" "After what your reverence was saying to me I'd have been afraid to let her out of my sight." "Very well, Callaghan, you can go home. I shall have to think the matter over. I don't deny that I'm disappointed. I thought when I saw you standing there on the shore that you'd have had some definite news for me." "I was up at the Major's house searching for you," said Callaghan, "and when you weren't within I took a look round and I seen the yacht coming in on the tide, so I thought it would save me a journey to-morrow if I waited for you." "Quite right," said Meldon. "It's not your fault nothing has happened, and I don't blame you in the least. Good-night." Callaghan shambled off along the beach. The Major and Meldon, who carried the punt's oars, struck across the fields towards Portsmouth Lodge. "I can't understand it at all," said Meldon. "After what I said to Simpkins I simply can't understand his neglecting his opportunities like this. You'd think from the way he's behaving that he doesn't want to be married at all." "Perhaps he doesn't," said the Major. "Any way, you can do no more than you've done. You may as well drop it now, and have the rest of your holiday in peace." "The fact is," said Meldon, "I ought not to have gone away and left them. I had no business to take that cruise in the _Spindrift_. If I'd been here--"