the part of hostess and chaperoned her pretty niece; but she was not
in the least like the aunt of fiction--on the contrary, she was
comparatively young in years and almost comically young in mind; her
niece was devoted to her, and the moment I saw her I knew that our
cruise could not possibly be dull.

As to Miss Freda, when we first caught sight of her she was standing
near the companion, dressed in a daintily made yachting costume of
blue serge and white braid, and round her white sailor hat she wore
the name of the yacht stamped on a white ribbon; in her waist-band
she had fastened two deep crimson roses, and she looked at us with
frank, girlish curiosity, no doubt wondering whether we should add
to or detract from the enjoyment of the expedition. She was rather
tall, and there was an air of strength and energy about her which
was most refreshing. Her skin was singularly white, but there was a
healthy glow of colour in her cheeks; while her large, grey eyes,
shaded by long lashes, were full of life and brightness. As to her
features, they were perhaps a trifle irregular, and her elder
sisters were supposed to eclipse her altogether; but to my mind she
was far the most taking of the three.

I was not in the least surprised that Derrick should fall head over
ears in love with her; she was exactly the sort of girl that would
infallibly attract him. Her absence of shyness; her
straightforward, easy way of talking; her genuine goodheartedness;
her devotion to animals--one of his own pet hobbies--and finally her
exquisite playing, made the result a foregone conclusion. And then,
moreover, they were perpetually together. He would hang over the
piano in the saloon for hours while she played, the rest of us
lazily enjoying the easy chairs and the fresh air on deck; and