But, being a tactful man, he only answered: "Your English sailors, my

dear, who gruffly dubbed the adjacent point 'Cape Dungeness,' have

shortened Magellan's mouthful into 'Cape Virgins.'--Yet, Ursula was a

British saint, and her memory ought to be revered, if only because it

keeps alive a classic pun."

A born raconteur, he paused.

"Go right ahead, doctor," came a voice from the lower end of the table.

"Well, the story runs that Princess Ursula fled from Britain to Rome to

escape marriage with a pagan--"

"How odd!" interrupted Isobel, and Elsie alone understood the drift of

her comment.

"Not at all odd if she didn't happen to like him," said Christobal.

"She reached Cologne, and was martyred there by the Huns. Long

afterwards a stone was found with the inscription Ursula et

Undecimilla Virgines, which was incorrectly translated into 'Ursula

and her Eleven Thousand Virgins.' Some later critic pointed out that a

missing comma after Undecimilla, the name of a handmaid, made all the

difference, assuming that two young ladies were a more reasonable and

probable number than eleven thousand. But what legend ever cared for a

comma, or reached a full stop? If you go to Cologne, the verger of the

Church of St. Ursula will show you the bones of the whole party in

glass cases, and, equally amazing, the town of Baoza in Spain claims to

be the birthplace of the lot. Clearly, Magellan had a man from Baoza

on board his ship."

"All mail steamers ought to provide a lecturer on things in general and

interesting places passed in particular," said Isobel.

Dr. Christobal bowed.

"I am sure that some of the officers of the Orellana could have told

you the history of Cape Virgins, but they, not to mention the other

young gentlemen in the passenger list, would certainly find you better

sport than puzzling your pretty head about the ship's landmarks."

"I also came out on the Orellana, but there was no Miss Baring to be

seen," murmured the Frenchman.

"You had a dull trip, I take it?" said the doctor, quietly.

"I was very ill," was the response; but, after a stare of surprise, he

joined in the resultant laugh quite good-naturedly.

"It is a standing joke that my countrymen are poor sailors," he

protested, "and that is strange, don't you think, seeing that France

has the second largest navy in the world?"

"Console yourself, monsieur," said Christobal. "Three great

sea-captains, Nelson, Cook, and, it is said, Columbus himself, always

paid tribute to Neptune. And, if I am not mistaken," he added,

glancing through the port windows, "we shall all have our stamina

tested before twenty-four hours have passed."




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