She looked up with a smile when he sat down near her.
"Haven't you come home earlier than you planned?" she asked.
Andrew studied her face. It was quiet and undisturbed, but he suspected a thoughtfulness that she meant to hide.
"Yes," he said. "I got a postcard from Marshall. He's at Stranraer and seemed to think I ought to look after the boat."
"The boat? But it's fine weather. Isn't she quite safe?"
"Oh, the tides are pretty high and run up the gutter fast."
Elsie counted her stitches, and then gave him a quiet look.
"Dick was with you," she said; "so it couldn't have been on his account that you came back."
Andrew smiled.
"That's obvious."