ous that in her mind no answering enthusiasm could be
born, since she had neither read nor wished to read a single word of the
article in question.

A hint of her mental discomfort probably reached the man on the sofa by
some telepathic means, for he suddenly tossed away the review and spoke
in a lighter tone.

"How long have you been punting, Mrs. Rose?"

"Oh, a very short time," she said rather apologetically. "My husband has
given me some lessons since we came down here. He doesn't know I
sometimes go out alone," she added ingenuously. "I don't go very often,
because I know I'm not much good. But to-day I saw some people coming to
call and I ran out of the house and jumped into the punt so that I could
escape."

Herrick smiled.

"What--are you like me? Do you avoid your fellow-creatures on
principle?"

She looked a little puzzled.

"Oh no, I don't avoid people when I know them. But I've had such heaps
of callers, and it's such a waste of time making conversation over tea
when one wants to be out in the sunshine."

"In fact you prefer nature to human nature?"

"I suppose I do." She frowned rather thoughtfully. "At least I would
always rather be out of the house than in it. And it's so lovely by the
river in the summer. I go for walks before breakfast with my dog, and
the world is so beautiful in the early morning before the mists have all
vanished in the sun."

"Ah! That reminds me!" Herrick rose. "You haven't seen _my_ dog! I'll go
and bring her in; she's lying in the shade at the back at present."

He went out, returning in a moment with the stately Olga, who had been,
as he suggested, sleeping in the shade. He kept his hand on her silver
collar as she advanced, fearing that Toni's queer mixture of garments
might upset her canine mind; but Olga apparently took her master's
friends on trust, and presently strolled over to Toni and laid one long
paw tentatively upon her knee.

Toni, delighted, stroked the beautiful creature affectionately, and
Herrick said to himself cheerfully:

"Come, she's got one thing in her favour anyway! If she can't appreciate
good literature she understands dogs--and after all they are worth more
as humanizers of the race, than any amount of books."

"She's lovely, Mr. Herrick!" Toni lifted delighted eyes. "What do you
call her? Something nice, I hope."

"Her name is Olga," he returned. "Not very original for a Russian dog, I
confess, but she was already christened when sh