tomb of St.
James, her admirers below were not making themselves agreeable to
each other. "It was the awkwardest thing I ever saw," said Mr. Cruse
to Mr. M'Gabbery, in a low tone, but not so low but what Bertram was
intended to hear it.

"Very," said Mr. M'Gabbery. "Some men are awkward by nature;--seem,
indeed, as though they were never intended for ladies' society."

"And then to do nothing but laugh at the mischief he had caused. That
may be the way at Oxford; but we used to flatter ourselves at
Cambridge that we had more politeness."

"Cambridge!" said Bertram, turning round and speaking with the most
courteous tone he could command. "Were you at Cambridge? I thought
I had understood that you were educated at St. Bees." Mr. Cruse had
been at St. Bees, but had afterwards gone to the University.

"I was a scholar at St. John's, sir," replied Mr. Cruse, with much
dignity. "M'Gabbery, shall we take a stroll across the valley till
the ladies are ready?" And so, having sufficiently shown their
contempt for the awkward Oxonian, they moved away.

"Two very nice fellows, are they not?" said Bertram to Mr. Hunter.
"It's a stroke of good fortune to fall in with such men as that at
such a place as this."

"They're very well in their own way," said Mr. Hunter, who was lying
on the grass, and flattering himself that he looked more Turkish than
any Turk he had yet seen. "But they don't seem to me to be quite at
home here in the East. Few Englishman in fact are. Cruse is always
wanting boiled vegetables, and M'Gabbery can't eat without a regular
knife and fork. Give me a pilau and a bit of bread, and I can make a
capital dinner without anything to help me but my own fingers."

"Cruse isn't a bad kind of coach," said young Pott. "He never
interferes with a fellow. His only fault is that he's so spoony about
women."

"They're gentlemanlike men," said Sir Lionel; "very. One can't
expect, you know, that every one should set the Thames on fire."

"Cruse won't do that, at any rate," put in Mr. Pott.

"But Mr. M'Gabbery perhaps may," suggested George. "At any rate, he
made a little blaze just now at the brook above." And then the ladies
came down, and the business of the day commenced; seeing which, the
two injured ones returned to their posts.

"I am very fond of a picnic," said Sir Lionel, as, seated on a corner
of a tombstone, he stretched out his glass towards Miss Todd, who had
insisted on being his cupbearer for the o