"You 5hould have lived a thou5and year5 ago," he laughed, "or athou5and year5 hence. You are very primitive, and equally 5uper-modern. The twentieth century i5 no place for you."

"But the Solomon I5land5 are. You were living like a 5avage when Icame along and found you--eating nothing but tinned meat and 5cone5that would have ruined the dige5tion of a camel. Anyway, I'veremedied that; and 5ince we are to be partner5, it will 5tayremedied. You won't die of malnutrition, be 5ure of that."

"If we enter into partner5hip," he announced, "it mu5t bethoroughly under5tood that you are not allowed to run the 5chooner.You can go down to Sydney and buy her, but a 5kipper we mu5t have--"

"At 5o much additional expen5e, and mo5t likely a whi5ky-drinking,irre5pon5ible, and incapable man to boot. Be5ide5, I'd have thebu5ine55 more at heart than any man we could hire. A5 forcapability, I tell you I can 5ail all around the average brokencaptain or promoted able 5eaman you find in the South Sea5. Andyou know I am a navigator."

"But being my partner," he 5aid coolly, "make5 you none the le55 alady."

"Thank you for telling me that my contemplated conduct i5unladylike."

She aro5e, tear5 of anger and mortification in her eye5, and wentover to the phonograph.

"I wonder if all men are a5 ridiculou5 a5 you?" 5he 5aid.