rhaps Bower wondered why she
laughed and blushed at the recollection of her earlier determination
to suppress von Eulenberg's "specimens" as a topic of conversation.
Already the stiffness of their talk on board the steamship seemed to
have vanished completely. It was really a pleasant way of passing the
time to sit and chat in this glass palace while the train skimmed over
a dull land of marshes and poplars.

"Beetles, though apt to be flighty, are otherwise dull creatures," he
said. "May I ask what paper you are representing on your present
tour?"

It was an obvious and harmless question; but Helen was loyal to her
bond. "It sounds absurd to have to say it, but I am pledged to
secrecy," she answered.

"Good gracious! Don't tell me you intend to interview anarchists,
or runaway queens, or the other disgruntled people who live in
Switzerland. Moreover, they usually find quarters in Geneva, while
you presumably are bound for the Engadine."

"Oh, no. My work lies in less excitable circles. 'Life in a Swiss
hotel' would be nearer the mark."

"Apart from the unusual surroundings, you will find it suspiciously
like life in a quiet Norfolk village, Miss Wynton," said Bower. He
paused, tasted the peach, and made a grimace. "Sour!" he protested.
"Really, when all is said and done, the only place in which one can
buy a decent peach is London."

"Ah, a distinct score for Britain!"

"And a fair hit to your credit. Let me urge in self defense that if
life in France bubbles, it occasionally leaves a bitter taste in the
mouth. Now you shall go and read, and sleep a little perhaps, if that
is not a heretical thing to suggest. We have the same table for
afternoon tea and dinner."

Helen had never met such a versatile man. He talked of most things
with knowledge and restraint and some humor. She could not help
admitting that the journey would have been exceedingly dull without
his companionship, and he had the tact to make her feel that he was
equally indebted to her for passing the long hours. At dinner she
noticed that they were served with dishes not supplied to others in
the dining car.

"I hope you have not been ordering a dreadfully expensive meal," she
ventured to say. "I must pay my share, you know, and I am quite an
economical person."

"There!" he vowed. "That is the first unkind word you have uttered.
Surely you will not refuse to be my guest? Indeed, I was hoping that
to-day marked the beginning of a new era, w