everely at Thiessow, There is no running away from
vain words or from anything else on an island. He was a tall young man,
and there was something indefinable and reassuring about his collar.

'I am so sorry,' he said with great politeness. 'I did not notice you.
Of course I did not intend to photograph you. I shall destroy the film.'

At this I felt hurt. Being photographed without permission is bad, but
being told your photograph is not wanted and will be destroyed is worse.
He was a very personable young man, and I like personable young men;
from the way he spoke German and from his collar I judged him English,
and I like Englishmen; and he had addressed me as _gnaediges Fraeulein_,
and what mother of a growing family does not like that?

'I did not see you,' I said, not without blandness, touched by his youth
and innocence, 'or I should have got out of your way.'

'I shall destroy the film,' he again assured me; and lifted his cap and
went back to the rocks.

Now if I stayed where I was he could not photograph the strip again, for
it was so narrow that I would have been again included, and he was
evidently bent on getting a picture of it, and fidgeted about among the
rocks waiting for me to go. So I went; and as I climbed up the south
hill under the trees I mused on the pleasant slow manners of Englishmen,
who talk and move as though life were very spacious and time may as well
wait. Also I wondered how he had found this remote island. I was
inclined to wonder that I had found it myself; but how much more did I
wonder that he had found it.

There are many rabbit-holes under the trees at the south end of Vilm,
and I disturbed no fewer than three snakes one after the other in the
long grass. They were of the harmless kind, but each in turn made me
jump and shiver, and after the third I had had enough, and clambered
down the cliff on the west side and went along at the foot of it towards
the farthest point of the island, with the innocent intention of seeing
what was round the corner. The young man was round the corner, and I
walked straight into another photograph; I heard the camera snap at the
very instant that I turned the bend.

This time he looked at me with something of a grave inquiry in his eye.

'I assure you I do not _want_ to be photographed,' I said hastily.

'I hope you believe that I did not intend to do it again,' he replied.

'I am very sorry,' said I.

'I shall destroy the film,' said he.