Lady Sarah looked at me with just an involuntary touch of surprise. I do not think that, in the bottom of her heart, she expected me to speak--unless, of course, spoken to. "I intensely dislike both his manners and his opinions--and what I hear of his character," she observed. "I mean," Lady Aspenick pursued, "that he's been to so many queer places, and must have seen such queer things----" "And done 'em, if you ask my opinion," interposed her husband. "That he may have got--what? Rusty? Well, something like that. I mean--forgotten how to treat people. He seems to put everybody down as an enemy at first sight! Well, I'm irritable myself!" Bertram Ware joined in for the first time. "At the clubs they say he's really a slave-driver in Central Africa, and comes over here when the scent gets too hot after him." "Really," said Lady Sarah, "it sounds exceedingly likely. But if he teaches his slaves to copy his manners, they'll get some good floggings." "That's what the fellow wants himself," growled unappeasable Sir John. "You take it on, Johnny," counseled young Lacey. "He's only a foot taller and four stone heavier than you are. You take it on! It'd be a very sporting event." This extract--it is no more--from our conversation will show that it was going on swimmingly. In the pursuit of a common prey we were developing a sense of comradeship which leveled barriers and put us at our ease with one another. No doubt our nascent cordiality would have sprung to fuller life--but it suffered a sudden check. "Well, how have you all got on without me?" said a voice behind my chair. I turned round with a start. The man himself stood there, his great height and breadth overshadowing me. His face was bronzed under his thick black hair; his mouth wore a wicked smile as his keen eyes ranged round the embarrassed table. He had heard the last part of Lacey's joking challenge to Aspenick. "What's Sir John Aspenick got to take on? What's the event?" The general embarrassment grew no less--but then it had never existed in young Lacey. He raised his fearless fresh blue eyes to the big man. "To give you a thrashing," he said. "Ah," said Octon, "I'm too old. I'm not like you." Lacey flushed suddenly. "And perhaps I'm a bit too big--and you're hardly that yet, are you?" Perhaps he was too big! I noticed again his wonderful hands. They were large beyond reasonable limits of size, but full of muscle--no fat. They were restless too--always moving as if they wanted to be at work; if the work were to strangle a bull, I could imagine their being well pleased. He might need a thrashing--but, sturdy as the sons of Catsford were, there was none in the park that day who could have given him one. Young Lacey was very red. I was a little uneasy as to what he would say or do; Fillingford saved the situation. He stood up and offered his hand to Octon, saying, "We're always glad to welcome a neighbor safely back. I hope your trip was prosperous?"