aid, "always making circles in the
water like that"

But the ennui expressed in his words was not reflected in his face. Even
silly old porpoises acquire an interest when one's attention is called
to them by a small and shapely hand that forgets in the enthusiasm of
the moment to remove itself from one's arm. It was only by sharply
calling to mind the haughty faces of his mother and sisters that he
refrained from indiscretion.

"You don't mind?" he asked, drawing his cigar-case from his pocket.
"Deuced clever of you, I call it, to think of coming up here. How did
you know that Black fellow wouldn't come?"

"He's too fat to climb," said Bobby. "He doesn't even like to walk."

"Thought he was quite keen about it from the way he walked with us every
evening. A decent chap would not intrude."

"That's funny!" said Bobby, with twinkling eyes. "That's almost exactly
what he said about you, only he didn't say intrude."

"What did he say?"

"Butt in," said Bobby.

The Honorable Percival suffered one of those acute revulsions that had
become less frequent of late. At such times he marveled at himself for
permitting such vulgarity in his presence.

"You Americans have the most extraordinary expressions, Miss Boynton!"
he said.

"How queer that sounds!"

"What?"

"Miss Boynton. I thought you'd got to the Bobby stage. Perhaps you'd
rather make it Roberta."

"Yes, I think I should, if I may."

For a few seconds they dropped into silence, he puffing away at his
cigar, and she gazing off to the horizon as if she had quite forgotten
his presence.

"Were you ever in love?" she asked, turning on him suddenly.

"Why do you ask?" he said, scrutinizing the ash of his cigar.

"Because it's so queer you never got married. I thought young Englishmen
with names and estates to keep up always married right away."

"Well, I suppose they do, as a rule. The Hascombes are rather
different. Of course there have been a lot of girls who were foolish
enough to--er--to think--"

"To think they were in love with you? Go ahead! I'll shut my eyes."

Instead, she opened them very wide, and he had to unbutton his coat just
for the sake of buttoning it up again.

"But I don't care about them," she went on; "I want to know if _you've_
ever been in love."

"Imagined I was once."

"Oh, what fun! Tell me about it from beginning to end!"

"How do you know it had an end!"

"I'd gamble on it," said Bobby, confidently. "But tell me!"