“He—­Cap’n Hunken—­didn’ seem worried in mind, either?”

“Nothing to notice.  Of course,” added Mrs Bowldler, “you understand that our appetites are not what they were:  that there has been a distink droppin’ off since—­you know what.  They both eats, in a fashion, but where’s the pleasure in pleasin’ ’em?  Heart-renderin’, I call it, when a devilled kidney might be a plain boiled cabbage for all the heed taken, and you knowin’ all the while that a woman’s at the bottom of it.”

Fancy moved to the door.  “Well,” said she, “I’m sorry for the cause of it:  but duty’s duty, and I reckon I’ve news to make ’em sit up.”

She went downstairs resolutely and knocked at Cai’s parlour door.

“Come in! . . .  Eh, so it’s you, missy?  No worse news of the invalid, I hope?”

“He isn’ goin’ to die to-day, nor yet to-morrow, if that’s what you mean.  May I take a chair?”

“Why, to be sure.”

“Thank you.”  Fancy seated herself.  “If you please, Cap’n Hocken, I got a very funny question to ask.”

“Well?”

“You mustn’t think I’m inquisitive—­”

“Go on.”

“If you please, Cap’n Hocken, are you very fond indeed of Mrs Bosenna?”

Cai turned about to the hearth and stooped for the tongs, as if to place a lump of coal on the fire.  Then he seemed to realise that, the season being early summer, there was no fire and the tongs and coal-scuttle had been removed.  He straightened himself up slowly and faced about again, very red and confused (but the flush may have come from his stooping).

“So we’re not inquisitive, aren’t we?  Well, missy, appearances are deceptive sometimes—­that’s all I say.”

“But I’m not askin’ out o’ curiosity—­really an’ truly.  And please don’t turn me out an’ warn me to mind my own business; for it is my business, in a way. . . .  I’ll explain it all, later on, if only you’ll tell.”

“I admire Mrs Bosenna very much indeed,” said Cai slowly.  “There now,—­ will that satisfy you?”

Fancy shook her head.  “Not quite,” she confessed, “I want to know, Are you so fond of her that you wouldn’ give her up, not on any account?”

Cai flushed again.  “Well, missy, since you put it that way, we’ll make it so.”

Still the answer did not appear to satisfy the child.  She fidgetted in her chair a little, but without offering to go.

“Not for no one in the wide world?” she asked at length.

“Why, see here,”—­Cai met her gaze shyly—­“isn’t that the right way to feel when you want to make a woman your wife?”

“Ye-es—­I suppose so,” admitted Fancy with a sigh.  “But it makes things so awkward—­” She paused and knit her brows, as one considering a hard problem.

“What’s awkward?”

Her response to this, delayed for a few seconds, was evasive when it came.

“I used to think you an’ Cap’n Hunken was such friends there was nothin’ in the world you wouldn’ do for him.”