"I think the American will be more comfortable for you both and safer for us all," said she.
"There!" exclaimed the man of war, "what did I tell you?"
"I could have told you there would be a 'but,'" interrupted Jonstone triumphantly.
"But," repeated Maud, "I'm coxswain, and I want to see what every man in my boat is doing."
"It's like a dinner-party," explained Maud to Colonel Meredith, who appeared slightly discomforted. "Don't you know how annoying it is when there's a tall centrepiece and you can't see who's across the table from you?"
"Even if you don't want to look at him when you have found out who he is," agreed Meredith. "Exactly."
They came to a bold headland of granite crowned with a half-dozen old pines that leaned waterward.
"That's rather a wonderful site, I think," said Maud.
"Where?" said the gentlemen, turning to look over their shoulders. Then, "It looks well enough from the water," said Jonstone, "but we ought not to choose wildly."
"Let us land," said Colonel Meredith, "and explore."
They landed and began at once to find reasons for pitching the tent on the promontory and reasons for not pitching it.
"The site is open and airy," said Jonstone.
"It is," said Colonel Meredith. "But, in case of a southwest gale, our tent would be blown inside out."
A moment later, "How about drinking-water?" asked the experienced military man.
"I regret to say that I have just stepped into a likely spring," said Jonstone.
"We must sit down and wait till it clears."
When the spring once more bubbled clean and undefiled Mr. Jonstone scooped up two palmfuls of water and drank.
Colonel Meredith then sampled the spring and shook his head darkly.
"This spring has a main attribute of drinking-water," he said; "it is wet. Otherwise----"
"What's the matter with my spring?" demanded his cousin.
"Silica, my dear fellow--silica. And you know very well that silica to a man of your inherited tendencies spells gout."
"I'm afraid that settles it." And he turned to Maud Darling. "I can keep clear of gout," he explained, "only just as long as I keep my system free from silica."
"Do you usually manage to?" asked Maud, very much puzzled.
"So far," he said, "I have _always_ managed to."
"Then you have never suffered from gout?"