on the ship; the pretty wives of certain captains and lieutenants
had small scope for their blandishments at close range. Flirtations
were hard to manage in space so small. The two girls were therefore
in a state of siege most of the time. The abject following fell
away perceptibly when the broader field of action on shore gave
their married sisters a chance to manoeuvre with some degree of
security. A faithful few remained in train, however. Ethel Harbin,
like the ingenue in the play, had each finger clumsily but tightly
wrapped with a breathing uniform of blue. It must be admitted in
shame, however, that she changed the bandages often and without
conscience or ceremony.

Jane's admirers were in love with her. She was not the sort to
inspire idle fancies--either in married or unmarried men. In any
event, it looked a long time to these chaps before they could get
back to the States, and she was worth while.

Perhaps her most, devoted admirer was Lieutenant Bray. Good-looking
and coming from an excellent Southern family, he was a great
favourite with all. Jane liked him better than any of the rest;
she would have liked him still better had he been able to resist
a tendency to boast of the stock from which he had sprung. The
knowledge of her disadvantages in life, the contrast between their
respective positions, all tended to emphasise the irony of fate;
and she often found herself wondering how this sprig of true
aristocracy would conduct himself if he discovered that, after all,
she was only a FOUNDLING.

It was Lieutenant Bray who made inquiries at general headquarters
and found, after considerable trouble, that Graydon Bansemer's