"No, the mail is in, so they kill two birds with one stone," continued the other, coolly. "They are not a bad set, though they may seem rough and unpolished to you, don't they?"
"Really, I am no judge; I have scarcely ever spoken to a gentleman in my life."
"Gracious!" ejaculated Miss Caggett. "You weren't in a convent?"
"No; but what amounted to the same thing, I spent all my holidays at school."
"Oh, how slow for you! Well, you will find this rather a change. There is Dr. Malone, an Irishman, and very amusing; he has any amount of impudence, and has thought of a lovely name for Mrs. Creery—Mrs. Query—isn't it splendid? We all call her that, for she never stops asking questions, and we all have to answer them whether we like it or not—all but one; there is one person she never gets anything out of, he is too close even for her, and clever—I grant him that,—much as I detest him!"
"And who is this clever man that baffles Mrs. Creery?"
"A Mr. Lisle, a genteel loafer, a hanger-on of Mr. Quentin's; he actually has not got the money to pay his passage back to Calcutta, and so he is obliged to stay. His manners are odious, polite to rudeness, if you know what that means? and he has eyes that seem to look down into your inmost thoughts, and laugh at what they see there! I hate him, though he is extremely anxious to be civil to me, and, in fact, I don't mind telling you in confidence that he is a great admirer of mine,—but it's by no means mutual. Whatever you do, have nothing to say to him. I need not tell you, that I never speak to him!"
"We cannot permit you two young ladies to monopolize each other in this fashion," said the General, approaching with a telescope in his hand. "Would you like to look at some of the islands through this glass, Miss Denis? I can introduce you to several this fine clear evening. Havelock looks quite close!"
"It seems to be very large," she said, after a long struggle with the focus.
"Well, yes, it is; we will take you there some day in the Enterprise if you like. The Enterprise is the station steamer."