(And as for Mr. Bunting, he was in bed.) I gather that the three ladies sat and talked as any three ladies all quite resolved to be pleasant to one another would talk. Mrs. Bunting and Miss Glendower were far too well trained in the observances of good society (which is as every one knows, even the best of it now, extremely mixed) to make too searching enquiries into the Sea Lady's status and way of life or precisely where she lived when she was at home, or whom she knew or didn't know. Though in their several ways they wanted to know badly enough. The Sea Lady volunteered no information, contenting herself with an entertaining superficiality of touch and go, in the most ladylike way. She professed herself greatly delighted with the sensation of being in air and superficially quite dry, and was particularly charmed with tea. "And don't you have _tea_?" cried Miss Glendower, startled. "How can we?" "But do you really mean----?" "I've never tasted tea before. How do you think we can boil a kettle?" "What a strange--what a wonderful world it must be!" cried Adeline. And Mrs. Bunting said: "I can hardly _imagine_ it without tea. It's worse than-- I mean it reminds me--of abroad." Mrs. Bunting was in the act of refilling the Sea Lady's cup. "I suppose," she said suddenly, "as you're not used to it-- It won't affect your diges--" She glanced at Adeline and hesitated. "But it's China tea." And she filled the cup. "It's an inconceivable world to me," said Adeline. "Quite." Her dark eyes rested thoughtfully on the Sea Lady for a space. "Inconceivable," she repeated, for, in that unaccountable way in which a whisper will attract attention that a turmoil fails to arouse, the tea had opened her eyes far more than the tail. The Sea Lady looked at her with sudden frankness. "And think how wonderful all this must seem to _me_!" she remarked. But Adeline's imagination was aroused for the moment and she was not to be put aside by the Sea Lady's terrestrial impressions. She pierced--for a moment or so--the ladylike serenity, the assumption of a terrestrial fashion of mind that was imposing so successfully upon Mrs. Bunting. "It must be," she said, "the strangest world." And she stopped invitingly.... She could not go beyond that and the Sea Lady would not help her. There was a pause, a silent eager search for topics. Apropos of the Niphetos roses on the table they talked of flowers and Miss Glendower ventured: "You have your anemones too! How beautiful they must be amidst the rocks!" And the Sea Lady said they were very pretty--especially the cultivated sorts.... "And the fishes," said Mrs. Bunting. "How wonderful it must be to see the fishes!" "Some of them," volunteered the Sea Lady, "will come and feed out of one's hand."