By this time I was standing beside him, and Santoris joined us.

“So your doctor came to look after you,”—­he said, with a smile—­“I thought he would not trust you out of his sight too long!”

“What do you mean by that?” asked Harland—­then his face lightened and he laughed—­“Well, I must own you have been a better physician than he for the moment—­it is months since I have been so free from pain.”

“I’m very glad,”—­Santoris answered—­“And now would you and your friend like to take the launch back to your own yacht, or will you stay and dine with me?”

Mr. Harland thought a moment.

“I’m afraid we must go”—­he said, at last, with obvious reluctance—­ “Captain Derrick went back with Brayle.  You see, Catherine is not strong, and she has not been quite herself—­and we must not leave her alone.  To-morrow, if you are willing, I should like to try a race with our two yachts in open sea—­electricity against steam!  What do you say?”

“With pleasure!” and Santoris looked amused—­“But as I am sure to be the winner, you must give me the privilege of entertaining you all to dinner afterwards.  Is that settled?” “Certainly!—­you are hospitality itself, Santoris!” and Mr. Harland shook him warmly by the hand—­“What time shall we start the race?”

“Suppose we say noon?”

“Agreed!”

We then prepared to go.  I turned to Santoris and in a quiet voice thanked him for his kindness in escorting me to Loch Coruisk, and for the pleasant afternoon we had passed.  The conventional words of common courtesy seemed to myself quite absurd,—­however, they had to be uttered, and he accepted them with the usual conventional acknowledgment.  When I was just about to descend the companion ladder, he asked me to wait a moment, and going down to the saloon, brought me the bunch of Madonna lilies I had found in that special cabin which, as he had said, was destined ‘for a princess.’

“You will take these, I hope?” he said, simply.

I raised my eyes to his as I received the white blossoms from his hand.  There was something indefinable and fleeting in his expression, and for a moment it seemed as if we had suddenly become strangers.  A sense of loss and pain affected me, such as happens when someone to whom we are deeply attached assumes a cold and distant air for which we can render no explanation.  He turned from me as quickly as I from him, and I descended the companion ladder followed by Mr. Harland.  In a few seconds we had put several boat-lengths between ourselves and the ‘Dream,’ and a rush of foolish tears to my eyes blurred the figure of Santoris as he lifted his cap to us in courteous adieu.  I thought Mr. Harland glanced at me a little inquisitively, but he said nothing—­and we were soon on board the ‘Diana,’ where Catherine, stretched out in a deck chair, watched our arrival with but languid interest.  Dr. Brayle was beside her, and looked up as we drew near with a supercilious smile.