The two were seated in one of the most comfortable and roomy of the boats, on the ornamental water--whither they had betaken themselves, not to row about, but to get into a cool place and take it easy and chat to their hearts' content. The boat's nose was made fast to a stake driven into the bottom about fifteen yards from the shore and well within the shade of a great over-arching tree, whose boughs threw a network of sunlight here and there upon the brown surface. There was scarcely a breath of air, and at the other end of the lake the coots and moorhens disported themselves, uttering now and again their loud chirrupy cry, and little brown water rats glided from their holes beneath the slippery bank. Roy, whom his master had taken into the boat and treacherously flung overboard, was careering up and down the bank, looking like a great woolly bear, every hair in his body shaken out to its fullest length and standing on end--and barking his surprise and displeasure at his master's treachery and his own involuntary bath, but feeling worlds the better for the last, while a couple of swans floated in the centre of the pond, looking the picture of ruffled and sullen dignity over the irruption of these disturbing elements into their own especial domain. "Well, it's rather a nuisance as far as I am concerned," he went on. "As it happens I wanted to go into Wandsborough this afternoon--and over and above that, I hate things of this kind." "Roland dear, don't go into Wandsborough to-day. Papa will be mortally offended if you do. I happen to know that he got up this affair solely on your account; he thought it would be a good way of introducing you to all the people here. And there'll be several nice girls." "H'm!" "Let me see," she continued. "There are the Nevilles, who are coming to stay: the eldest girl is very pretty and the heiress of Ardleigh Court-- make a note of that. And the Colonel is such a dear old man. Then there's Isabel Pagnell, she seems to take wonderfully with the men--and the Breretons and--" "Bother the lot of them?" cried Roland, flinging the end of his cigar away in a sudden access of irritability. "Roy, don't make that confounded row, sir. Lie down. D'you hear? And now, Nellie, we shall have to quit this cool retreat, for there goes gong Number One. Yes, it's a nuisance; I particularly wanted to go over to Wandsborough to-day, but, hurrah for boredom instead!" No more was said as they paddled back to the landing place and made their way along the shrubbery path. Did the girl in her heart of hearts suspect the reason of her brother's anxiety to ride over to the town? If so, like a wise counsellor she held her peace.