Albert, however, was beaming at her sympathetically.
“You have too much to do indoors,” he said. “It would do you good to get a bit of exercise out of doors. Come down to the Coach Road tomorrow afternoon, and let me give you a lesson. Go on—”
Now the coach-road was a level drive between beautiful park-like grass-stretches, down in the valley. It was a delightful place for learning to ride a bicycle, but open in full view of all the world. Alvina would have died of shame. She began to laugh nervously and hurriedly at the very thought.
“No, I can’t. I really can’t. Thanks, awfully,” she said.
“Can’t you really!” said Albert. “Oh well, we’ll say another day, shall we?”
“When I feel I can,” she said.
“Yes, when you feel like it,” replied Albert.
“That’s more it,” said Arthur. “It’s not the time. It’s the nervousness.” Again Albert beamed at her sympathetically, and said:
“Oh, I’ll hold you. You needn’t be afraid.”
“But I’m not afraid,” she said.