ves on half-ripe gooseberries in the Major's garden. He then
rowed out in the boat about a mile from the shore, and had the
satisfaction of bathing in absolute solitude and diving as far as he
could into deep water. He had, as was natural, a fine appetite for
breakfast, and ate in a way which gratified Major Kent and afterwards
startled his housekeeper. But nature takes her revenges even on those
who seem best able to defy her. After breakfast Meldon settled himself
in a comfortable chair on the lawn, and was disinclined to move from
it. The Major went into his study to make up some accounts, and the
day being fine and warm, sat beside an open window. Meldon's chair was
only a short distance from the window, so that he was in a position to
carry on a conversation without raising his voice. For some time he
did not speak, for his morning pipe was particularly enjoyable. Then
he felt it necessary to make some excuse for his idleness.

"There's no use," he said, "my starting before eleven. Simpkins won't
be out of bed until late to-day. He'll be thoroughly exhausted after
all he went through on the _Spindrift_."

"Start any time you like," said the Major.

Meldon's remark interrupted him in the middle of adding up a long
column of pence. He failed to recollect where he had got to and was
obliged to begin over again.

"I can have the trap, I suppose," said Meldon, a couple of minutes
later.

Major Kent had got to the shillings column.

"Yes. But do stop talking."

"Why?" said Meldon. "Without conversation we might as well be living
in total solitude; and Bacon says, in one of his essays, that solitude
is only fit for a god or a beast. You may like being a beast, Major,
but I don't. You'll hardly set up, I suppose, to be a god."

"Hang it all, J. J.! I've forgotten how many shillings I had to carry,
and now I shall have to begin the whole tot over again."

"Hand it out to me," said Meldon, "and I'll settle the whole thing for
you in two minutes."

"Certainly not," said the Major. "I know your way of dealing with
account books. I may be slow, but I do like to be tidy."

"Very well," said Meldon, "if you choose to be unsociable, merely in
order to give yourself a lot of quite unnecessary trouble, of course
you can. I won't speak again."

Ten minutes later he did speak again, to the great annoyance of Major
Kent, who was estimating the total cost of the hay eaten by his polo
ponies during the y