rd him as
a brother,--almost as a brother,--if only she were able so to regard
him. It was her practice to call him Ralph, and her own name was as
common to him as though she were in truth his sister. "And what do
you think of this new cousin?" he asked.

[Illustration: He drank his sherry and soda-water, and lit his pipe,
and lay there on the lawn, as though he were quite at home . . .]

"I can think nothing as yet;--but I mean to like her."

"I mean to hate her furiously," said Ralph.

"That is nonsense. She will be nothing to you. You needn't even see
her unless you please. But, Ralph, do put your jacket on. I'm sure
you'll catch cold." And she went down, and hooked his jacket for him
out of the boat, and put it over his shoulders. "I won't have you
throw it off," she said; "if you come here you must do as you're
told."

"You needn't have knocked the pipe out of my mouth all the same. What
is she like, I wonder?"

"Very,--very beautiful, I'm told."

"A kind of tropical Venus,--all eyes, and dark skin, and black hair,
and strong passions, and apt to murder people;--but at the same
time so lazy that she is never to do anything either for herself or
anybody else;--wouldn't fetch a fellow's jacket for him, let him be
catching cold ever so fast."

"She wouldn't fetch yours, I dare say."

"And why shouldn't she?"

"Because she doesn't know you."

"They soon get to know one,--girls of that sort. I'm told that in
the West Indies you become as thick as thieves in half a morning's
flirtation, and are expected to propose at the second meeting."

"That is not to be your way with our cousin, I can assure you."

"But these proposals out there never mean much. You may be engaged to
half a dozen girls at the same time, and be sure that each of them
will be engaged to half-a-dozen men. There's some comfort in that,
you know."

"Oh, Ralph!"

"That's what they tell me. I haven't been there. I shall come and
look at her, you know."

"Of course you will."

"And if she is very lovely--"

"What then?"

"I do like pretty girls, you know."

"I don't know anything about it."

"I wonder what uncle Gregory would say if I were to marry a West
Indian! He wouldn't say much to me, because we never speak, but he'd
lead poor Greg a horrid life. He'd be sure to think she was a nigger,
or at least a Creole. But I shan't do that."

"You might do worse, Ralph."

"But I might do much better." As he said this, he looked