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from? Why had he taken the yacht out in the teeth of the storm? And what reason did he have for keeping his whereabouts a secret?
    By lunchtime. her head was aching and only one line more of the chapter had been translated. She hoped her father would not suspect the reasons for her lack of concentration, and she was uneasy when she entered the dining room to find him talking with Celeste.
    'Ah. there you are. Ruth.' her father said, somewhat absently, moving away from the black woman and taking a seat at the table. 'We'll have our meal now. Celeste, and then you can prepare a tray for our - guest.'
    'Yes. sir.'
    Celeste cast a knowing look at Ruth's white face, and left the room through the swing doors that led into the kitchen. It was obvious what she was thinking, and Ruth seated herself hurriedly, hoping to avoid a personal discussion.
    'Joseph's gone,' her father informed her, shaking out his napkin. 'And I've set some of the boys to cleaning up the beach. Naturally, the devastation the storm caused can't be rectified in a matter of hours, but we can make a concerted effort to restore order.'
    'Yes.' Ruth nodded, spreading her own napkin over her bare knees.
    'Fortunately, no one appears to have been injured in the storm.' Professor Jason went on steadily. 'Apart from our unexpected guest, of course.' His keen grey eyes came to rest on Ruth's pale cheeks. 'Though I must say. now I come to notice it. you look a little drawn yourself. Didn't you sleep?'
    Ruth fidgeted with the cutlery. 'Yes. I slept.' she assured him. avoiding his eyes. 'I've got a bit of a headache, that's all.' She glanced up. 'I'm afraid I haven't made a very good effort with the Ovid.'
    Her father frowned. 'You're not worrying about this man. are you? I've told you. he's going to be perfectly all right.'
    'Of course not.' Ruth hunched her shoulders, pushing her hands into the pockets of her shorts, and then drawing her brows together as her fingers encountered something hard and round. It was the coin she had found earlier, and she pulled it out eagerly.
    'I found this on the beach this morning.' she said, pushing it across the table towards her father, successfully diverting his interest, is it Spanish? The lettering is almost obscured, but you might be able to identify the engraving."
    'How interesting!' To her relief. Professor Jason drew his reading glasses out of his breast pocket and placed them on his nose. 'An old coin. I haven't seen one quite like this before.'
    'Do you think it's valuable?'
    Ruth was anxious to sustain his curiosity in her find, and her father tipped the coin towards the light, turning it this way and that to ascertain its origin. It successfully distracted his attention from herself, and by the time Celeste appeared with their food, he was talking quite happily about the Spanish conquest of South America.
    However. Celeste had other ideas.
    'You want I should take a tray in to Mr Howard?' she suggested, setting down a bowl of fish chowder. 'Seems like he might be hungry, too.'
    Professor Jason frowned, the problem of their visitor once more in the forefront of his thoughts. 'Yes.' he decided after a moment. 'Yes. that might be a good idea. Celeste.' He paused, and then went on evenly: 'Just don't make a nuisance of yourself, will you? I don't want you hanging about his room. Deliver the food and leave him to eat it. I'll retrieve the tray when I go to examine his dressing.'
    Celeste's dark eyes flashed angrily at the implied insult, and she glared at Ruth as if blaming the girl for her father's warning. Ruth's helpless movement of her shoulders, disclaiming any responsibility for the admonition, went unacknowledged, and the door closed with unnecessary emphasis behind Celeste's billowing skirts.
    'Dear me!' Professor Jason broke a crust from the long roll Celeste had baked that morning. 'I think I've offended her.' He sighed. 'Oh. well, it's for her own good. I don't want Howard imagining my servants are—well,