haste. The man on the bench sat still and watched him, but when the
animal with a sudden, clumsy movement knocked his crutches on to the
floor and out of his reach, he uttered an exclamation of annoyance.

The dog gave him a startled glance and continued his headlong
investigation. He was very wet, and he left a trail of sea water
wherever he went. Finally he bounded out as hurriedly as he had entered,
and Hugh Durant was left a prisoner, the nearest of his crutches a full
yard away.

He sat and stared at them with a heavy frown. His helplessness always
oppressed him far more than the pain he had to endure. He cursed the dog
under his breath.

"Oh, I am sorry!" a voice said suddenly some seconds later. "Let me get
them for you!"

Durant looked round sharply. A brown-faced girl in a short, cotton dress
stood in the doorway. Her head was bare and covered with short, black,
curly hair that shone wet in the sunshine. Her eyes were very blue. For
some reason she looked rather ashamed of herself.

She moved forward barefooted and picked up Durant's crutches.

"I'm sorry, sir," she said again. "I didn't know there was any one here
till I heard Cæsar knock something down."

She dusted the tops of the crutches with her sleeve and propped them
against the table.