great friends. And talking
about the Jonkheer, I don't know what to make of him lately.

I believed at first that he was in love with Nell, and had got himself
asked on board "Lorelei" so that he might have the chance of knowing her
better. She had the same impression, I think, though she never said so
to me, and she was very angry about something Freule Menela told us. It
seems there was a bet, I don't know exactly about what, except that Nell
was concerned in it, and Mr. van Buren mentioned it to his fiancee. She
oughtn't to have repeated it to us, but she did, and gave the impression
that Jonkheer Brederode was a tremendous flirt, who fancied himself
irresistible with women. She warned us both that if he won his bet, and
contrived to meet us again, we weren't to be carried away by any signs
of admiration on his part, for it was just his way, and he would be too
pleased if we showed ourselves flattered.

This made Nell _furious_, and she said that in her opinion Jonkheer
Brederode ought to be flattered if we were in the least nice to him, but
she for one didn't intend to be.

I was a little prejudiced against him, too, although I admired him very
much when I saw him in the Prinzenhof at Delft, and afterwards at the
_Concours Hippique_. I thought Nell might, in any case, be grateful to
him for saving her when the bathing-machine horse ran away with her into
the sea.

I didn't tell Mr. van Buren what Freule Menela said, for it would have
been mean, as he might have felt vexed with her. But for his sake, as
Jonkheer Brederode is such a hero in his eyes, I determined if ever we
saw the Jonkheer again I wouldn't judge him too severely, and would give
him the benefit of the doubt as long as I could.

It was a surprise, though, to find that he was the "friend" Mr. Starr
had got as skipper, when the real skipper--the professional one--failed
at the last moment.

Naturally, I remembered instantly about the bet, which somehow concerned
his being introduced to Nell within a certain length of time--so Freule
Menela said--and I couldn't help thinking it was impertinent, winning it
in such a way on Nell's own boat.

However, Nell was so horrid to him from the first minute, I grew sorry
for the poor fellow, and he took her snubs like a combination of saint
and gentleman. The more I saw of him the more I began to feel that
Freule Menela van der Windt must have done him an injustice, at least in
some of the things she told us.