"I get most of my information from printers' ink," he said with a short laugh. "I haven't been to town for five years, and it's precious few of my own sex that come down my way; but Sidney and I are book-lovers, and there's not much that we don't thrash out together." He glanced across the table at his daughter with a certain amount of quiet pride in his eyes. When Major Urquhart appeared, his niece chaffed him unmercifully. Her spirits never flagged, and the dinner, in spite of the absent fish, was a great success. When Randolph eventually joined the ladies, he found them pacing up and down the terrace outside the house. Sidney turned to him at once. "Well, Mr. Neville, how long will our quiet country satisfy you? Are you a fisherman? Do you like sailing? Because there is nothing else for your entertainment. I have seen a few men—very few—endure a fortnight in this part, but never longer." "You want to drive me away," Randolph said lightly; "but I assure you I have learnt to be independent of my environment." "Now, that's a nasty one, isn't it, Monnie? He is all in all to himself, and we count for nothing. Like old Bob the shepherd in our village. He has got pensioned off and been given an almshouse. I went to see him the other day, and pitied him for the loss of his occupation. 'Bless 'ee, miss, 'tis no' to be pitied I am. All my life I have had to think an' mix wi' crowds o' creeturs, an' now I can do very well to myself. No such good company as oneself arter all, but one hasn't a chance commonly o' finding it out.'" Monica laughed, but Randolph took the bantering speech quite gravely. "I don't think I bore myself quite as much as other people bore me," he said. "No," said Sidney quickly; "but there's one disadvantage one has to reckon with, and that is, that we can run away from other people, but never from ourselves." "And self is a big tyrant sometimes," said Monica gravely. "Now we're moralising," cried Sidney gaily; "let us come down to the lower lawn, it is so lovely close to the water." "Bring your guitar down and sing to us," suggested Monica; "I hear so little music, and you know how much I love your singing." Without any demur, Sidney slipped into the house for that instrument.