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parted, you see, and the idea upsets her dreadfully; and she's lived most of her life on shipboard. She doesn't like living on shore a bit.'
    ‘ But if Farleigh doesn't go with you, who will look after her?’
    The carpenter's wife is a very good sort of woman, and she's willing to do what's necessary. But Africa's such an independent child, she hardly needs looking after, and on board ship all the men keep an eye on her.'
    ‘ I've heard it works both ways,' Weston said. 'She keeps an eye on them, too.'
    ‘She's more useful to me in keeping discipline than the cat,' Haworth agreed with a smile. 'The men don't even cuss when she's around.'
    ‘ Well, I've nothing to say to it,' Lucy said. 'You must do as you think fit. But I should like to know that you had plans to attend properly to her education.’
    Before Haworth could reply, the door opened and Hicks announced Admiral Collingwood. He was preceded into the room by his little white terrier, Bounce, who rushed forward to greet Lucy with such enthusiasm that Jeffrey, who had drawn himself up warily at the first sight of him, jumped from Weston's lap in affront and made a rapid ascent to the top of the nearest bookcase.
    Collingwood bowed over Lucy's hand and received the cordial greetings of the other two officers. He was a slender, handsome man, with finely-chiselled features and gravely beautiful eyes which a woman might have envied. He had been at sea since he was eleven, and out of the last forty-two years had spent no more than six or seven on shore. He was a consummate seaman, a superb tactician, and from having spent most of his life fighting the French one way and another, he had developed an almost uncanny way of know ing what they were about to do next. He was also one of the few captains who could keep order entirely without the use of the cat; it was said a look of censure from him hurt his jacks a great deal more than the lash.
    ‘ What was it you were discussing when I came in?' Colling wood asked Lucy as he took the seat opposite her. 'I thought I heard you mention the education of females? It's of all subjects the dearest to my heart.'
    ‘ I was enjoining Captain Haworth to make sure that both his girls were properly taught,' Lucy said. 'Too many men seem to think that education doesn't matter for girls, and let them scramble into whatever learning they can get for them selves without troubling anyone. But that's not our way — not the Morland way.'
    ‘ Dear Lucy, don't you think Haworth knows that?' Weston laughed. 'Didn't he marry your sister Mary?'
    ‘ I was taught Latin, Greek, mathematics, astronomy, history, and the natural sciences,' Lucy went on, 'and I am determined my girls will learn them too. Not,' she added frankly, 'that Flaminia shews much promise in anything but drawing. But that isn't the point.'
    ‘ I do so agree with you,' Collingwood said. 'It is quite a hobby-horse of mine. I am at pains to have my own dear girls learn the same subjects as are taught to boys. I wish I could be more often at home to supervise their education,' he added sadly, 'but I have been so little ashore since they were born ...'
    ‘ Well, sir, you will find no contrary argument in this room,' Weston said, 'but I think the majority of people would claim that too much education for females does not conduce to a proper delicacy of mind.'
    ‘ And I would say to them,' the admiral rejoined firmly, ‘that ignorance can never be conducive to delicacy. How can you instruct a girl to love God, when you give her no means of understanding the astonishing miracle of His creation?’
    Weston bowed. 'As I said, sir, none of us would disagree with you. Haworth and I have both had the honour of loving educated women.'
    ‘ Morland women,' Haworth added with a smile. 'There's something special about them. If my daughters grow up like their mother, I shall have nothing to regret except, like you, Admiral, that I have not been able to spend more time with them.'
    ‘ You