He may not, you know. He looks reserved."

"Oh, he's only shy. Say something civil to him to-night at dinner.
We'll soon get him out of his shell. He only wants a little judicious
drawing out."

The other looked dubious. "I don't know," she said. "I'm not sure we
hadn't better leave him alone. You see, I'm responsible for your good
behaviour now, Nidia; and really it is a responsibility. I don't like
being a party to adding this unfortunate man's to your string of
scalps."

We regret to record that at this juncture Nidia's exceedingly pretty
mouth framed but one word of one syllable. This was it:

"Bosh!"

"No, it isn't bosh," went on her friend, emphatically. "And, the worst
of it is, they all take it so badly; and this one looks as if he'd be no
exception to the general rule, but very much the reverse. I don't know
what there is about you, but you really ought to be cloistered, my
child; you're too dangerous to be at large."

"Susie, dry up! We'll exploit our interesting stranger this evening,
that is, presently; and now I think we'd better turn, for after three
weeks of the ship I can't ride any further with the slightest hope of
getting back to-night."

The upshot of all this was that when the two sat down to dinner they
gave John Ames the "Good evening" with just as much geniality as the
frigidity of English manners would allow to be manifested when outside
England towards the only other occupant of the same table. It sufficed
for its purposes, and soon the three were in converse.

"We passed each other on the road this evening," said John Ames. "It
was some way out, and I wonder you got back in time. Are you fond of
bicycling?"

"We simply live on our bikes when the weather is decent," replied Nidia.
"This seems a good locality for it. The roads are splendid, aren't
they?"

"Yes. I generally wheel down to Muizenberg or Kalk Bay for a puff of
sea air. It's refreshing after the up-country heat."

"Sea air? But can you get to the sea so soon?" said Mrs Bateman,
surprised.

"Oh yes. In less than an hour."

Both then began to enthuse about the sea, after the British method,
which was the more inexplicable considering they had just had three
weeks of it, and that viewed from its very worst standpoint--_upon_ it,
to wit. They must go there to-morrow. Was it easy to find the way?
And so forth. What could John Ames do but volunteer to show it them?--
which offer was duly accepted.