"The Duchess is being unkind," he said. "Will you please take some notice of me?"
"I'd love to," she replied. "I was just thinking that you were rather neglecting me. I want to know all about America, please, and American people."
"I am afraid," he told her, "that I know much more about America than I do about American people. All my life, since I left Harvard, I have been busy making money. I never went into Society over there. I never accepted an invitation if I could help it. When I had any time to spare I went and camped out, up in the Adirondacks, or further afield still, when I could. We had lots of sport, and we were able to lead a simple life, well away from the end of the cable."
"And you killed bears and things, I suppose?" she said. "How lucky that you are fond of sport! It makes living in England so easy."
He smiled.
"I am not so sure," he confessed, "that I should consider England quite so much of a sporting country as she thinks herself."
"What heresy!" the Marquis exclaimed, leaning forward.
"Of course, I didn't know that I was going to be overheard," David said good-humouredly, "but I must stick to it. I mean, of course, sport as apart from games."
"Shooting?" the Marquis queried.
"I am afraid I don't consider that shooting at birds, half of them hand-reared, is much of a sport," David continued. "Have you ever tried pig-sticking, or lying on the edge of a mountain after three hours' tramp, watching for the snout of a bear?"