“Did you ever think about marrying?”

Myrtle looked quickly at Hector MacDonald, but a second later she looked even more quickly beyond him across the water to where a red-and-yellow kilt was walking with Carrie beside the banks of Loch Hoch.

“Think about marrying?” she echoed. “Do you mean marrying anybody in particular?”

“As a matter of fact, that’s just what I did mean,” said Hector, snapping at the hook of the interrogation mark much more greedily than the trout of Loch Hoch had snapped at any of his flies. “I mean to say, could you think about marrying me?”

“Why, Hector, I don’t believe I could,” she answered, still following over Hector’s shoulder the progress of that red-and-yellow kilt beside the banks of Loch Hoch.

“I just asked the question,” Hector said. “I mean to say if you can’t think about marrying me it’s not much use my suggesting we might get married. Or is it?”

“No, Hector, I’m afraid it isn’t. After all, we are such very good friends, and I think it would be sad to spoil a friendship by getting married.”

“Yes, I see what you mean. And you feel sure it would spoil it?”

"Oh yes, Hector, I certainly do.”

“I’d chuck the Army, of course, if we got married. As a matter of fact I am pretty bored with it. Our Colonel’s rather a trying fellow. He’s worrying about another war all the time.”

“Oh, I don’t believe we will have another war.”

“No, that’s what worries him,” said Hector. “But as I say, if we got married I’d chuck the Army.”

“Oh, Hector, look! There’s Carrie!”

“So it is. But what on earth’s that walking with her?”

“Surely it’s somebody in a kilt. Oo-hoo! Oo-hoo! O Carrie! She’s walking away from us. Carrie! Isn’t it silly of her not to hear me and turn around,” Myrtle exclaimed petulantly.

“I don’t know what she’s got with her, but it doesn’t matter to us, does it?”

“Of course it does, Hector. Carrie! O Carrie! I’m sure she’s looking for me. I hope nothing’s happened to Chester. She just won’t turn around. She is very silly sometimes. Where’s Lachy? It’s surely time he came back for us.”

“I told him half an hour.”

“I’m sure we’ve been on this island more than half an hour. I really do think Carrie can be thoroughly stupid when she chooses.”

“We’ll row after them when Lachy comes back.”

“I don’t know why we didn’t eat our lunch on the banks.”

“I thought you’d prefer the island.”

“But islands are so inconvenient, Hector. When you’re on an island you can’t get off it. And I’m sure Carrie’s looking for me.”