Here I found one or two old acquaintances, including the British Consul. All of them hailed me in the friendliest fashion. What with cigars and talk and more iced drinks, the time slipped away so rapidly that I suddenly woke up to the fact that I was cutting things rather fine with regard to the return journey. I had intended to walk back to Leixoes, but this was out of the question now, so, bidding my kind hosts a hasty good-bye, I made my way to the celebrated Rolling Square, where I found another obliging tram waiting my convenience. As I stepped inside, the very first person who met my eyes was Miss de Roda. For the time I had quite forgotten that she was on shore, and the spectacle of her sitting there quietly in the corner gave me such a start that with a sudden unintentional movement I trod heavily upon the conductor's toe. The explosion that followed, punctuated by my apologies, naturally attracted her attention. She glanced up with a half-suppressed smile quivering round the corners of her lips, and behind it I thought I could detect a faint trace of friendly recognition. Anyhow, I hesitated no longer. Taking my courage in both hands, I walked up the tram to where she was sitting and raised my cap. "I hope you won't mind my introducing myself," I said. "I am the second officer of the _Neptune_, and I think that you are one of our passengers." A slight but charmingly graceful movement of her head encouraged me to take the vacant seat beside her. "My name," I added, "is Dryden--John Dryden--the same as the poet." She looked at me with a faint gleam of amusement still lurking in the depths of her beautiful brown eyes. "I know you by sight, Mr. Dryden," she said. "I have seen you on the ship." Then she paused. "You must be proud of your name," she added. "It is a very distinguished one." "It was very nearly extinguished just now," I replied. "At least, judging by what I could understand of the conductor's remarks." She laughed softly--a low musical laugh that gave me a curious little stab of pleasure. "One can't blame him," she remarked. "You must be a dreadfully heavy weight to come down suddenly upon anyone's toe." I could hardly explain to her the real reason for my clumsiness, so I took refuge in a piece of shameless dishonesty. "I was in a hurry," I explained. "I had been talking to some friends in the English Club, and I suddenly realised I should only just have time to get back. Hence the catastrophe!" She glanced at her watch. "We have left it rather late," she admitted. "I have been doing some commissions for my uncle, and they kept me a good deal longer than I expected." She looked up at me with a slight trace of anxiety. "I suppose there is really no danger of our missing the ship?" she asked. I shook my head. "None at all. If there were I should have taken a taxi. We shall be at Leixoes by half-past five, and it's only a ten minutes' row to where the _Neptune's_ lying."