forward keenly to the forthcoming hockey season at school. The daily
drive to Durracombe and back was pure delight, and formed her greatest
compensation for leaving Porthkeverne and The Gables.

The Haven, as the house occupied by the Castletons was called, had been
changed into its present form by an old retired sea-captain, and there
was much about it that suggested a nautical atmosphere. The panelled
walls of the parlour might have been taken from a ship's cabin, the
dining-room contained convenient lockers, there was a small observatory
upstairs built to accommodate a big telescope, and the figure-head of a
vessel adorned the garden. Young Mrs. Castleton, whose tastes inclined
towards up-to-date comforts, often grumbled at its inconveniences, but on
the whole the family liked it. They would not have exchanged it for a
suburban villa for worlds. Just on the opposite side of the harbour, with
the jetty and the broad strip of green water in between, was the
furnished house rented at present by the Macleods. It stood in the more
aristocratic portion of Chagmouth, apart from the town and the fishing,
in company with one or two other newly-built residences. It was
charmingly pretty and artistic, in a perfectly modern fashion, and had
been designed by a famous architect. Its owner, a retired naval officer,
had gone abroad for a year, and had let the place in his absence,
rejoicing to have secured a careful tenant. He might certainly
congratulate himself upon leaving his house in such good hands. Mr.
Macleod was an American gentleman, who, owing to a nervous breakdown, was
travelling in Europe, and happening in the course of the summer to wander
to Chagmouth, he had fallen in love with the quaint old town and had
decided to spend the winter there. The factor which largely influenced
this decision was the presence of Mr. Castleton. Mr. Macleod was an
enthusiastic amateur painter, and the prospect of being able to take
lessons from so good an artist was sufficient to chain him to Chagmouth.