year.

Mr. Fenshawe, exceedingly alert for one of his age, helped two ladies
to alight. The first was Irene. Her admiring glance at the _Aphrodite_,
no less than an exclamation of delighted interest, revealed that she,
too, like everyone else, was a stranger to the ship. She was followed
by a pretty woman, whose clothes and furs were of a fashion which told
even a mere man that she was a person of consequence. This was Mrs.
Haxton, and her first action caused Dick to dislike her, because she
deliberately turned her back on the smart yacht, and gave heed only to
the safe lowering of certain trunks from the roof of the omnibus. He
heard the manner of her speech to a neatly dressed maid and its languid
insolence did not help to dissipate that unfavorable impression.

Miss Fenshawe ran along the gangway. Royson had stationed a sailor at
the shoreward end, while he held the rail to steady it on deck.

"Good morning, Mr. King," she cried. "Has not Baron von Kerber
arrived?"

"Yes," he said. "He came aboard late last night."

"Then why is he not here to meet us?"

"I believe he is fatigued after the long journey, Miss Fenshawe."

"Fatigued! Fiddlesticks! Look at my grandfather. Is he fatigued? And we
have traveled over the same route. But I will deal with the lie-abed
Baron when I see him. What a nice boat the _Aphrodite_ is. I am in love
with her already. And is that Captain Stump? Good morning, captain. I