not refuse such courtesy."

He looked a striking figure as he stood by them. His clothes, although
not very different from those worn by the others, were somewhat foreign
in style; while his fez, surmounting his dark, Oriental-looking face,
would single him out anywhere as an Eastern.

"Will you proceed, gentlemen?" he continued; "as for me, I will bring up
the rear. If I find I am spoiling your game, I will drop out."

Purvis and Sprague tossed for the honour, and the former, having won it,
drove first. His ball flew straight as an arrow towards the distant
flag. Sprague followed next, and sent his ball within a dozen yards of
the one which Purvis had driven.

"Ah," said Signore Ricordo, "I feel humbled before I begin. I see I
shall not long deserve your society."

He struck his ball, and foozled it badly. It went away among the
heather, where some two or three minutes were spent in finding it.
Sprague and Purvis halved the hole, while Ricordo was several strokes
down.

"We shall have to get rid of the fellow," said Sprague. "You see he's
only a beginner."

"Let us be civil," said Purvis. "We are staying at the same place, and
he promises to be interesting."

The next hole Ricordo fared a little better, but only a little. Sprague
began to think of some hint he could give him that would cause him to
leave them.

"I will play one or two holes more with you, Mr.--Mr.--ah, I am afraid I
did not catch your name."

"Sprague is my name."

"Sprague, Sprague--thank you; yes, I will remember. My name is
Ricordo--that means remember, and I will remember, yes."

"And mine is Purvis."

"Thank you. Yes, I will remember. I will play one or two holes more with
you, and then, if I continue to be such a--duffer--yes, that is the
word--then I will go away, and challenge you for to-morrow."

"Golf is a difficult game," said Sprague; "one does not pick it up in a
day."

"Ah, you do not think I will be a match for you to-morrow."

"Why, do you?" and Sprague laughed lightly.

"If not to-morrow, then the next day. I never rest until I am a match
for my--what do you call it--enemy?"

"Not quite so bad as that--opponent," said Purvis.

"Opponent, yes, that is the word. I learnt English when I was a boy, but
I have had such little practice at it lately, and so--but there, I will
remember. Whenever I play a game--and is not life a game?--I am often
beaten at first. But then I remember that there is always a to-morrow,
an