But the look in his eyes continued to distress her. She resolved that when next she encountered him she would make him talk to her.
Book One—Chapter Four.
During the morning Esmé played tennis with two girls and a man who were staying at the hotel. The tennis court was rough, and a rope stretched across it did service for a net. But the tennis players had brought balls and racquets with them, and, these being good, the defects of the ground were regarded good-naturedly as part of the fun.
The girls were about Esmé’s own age; the man, a little older, paid marked attention to Miss Lester. She introduced an element of new life into the place, and the attractions of the Zuurberg were beginning to pall. There was nothing for a man to do, he explained as they strolled back together towards lunch time.
“But it is pleasant,” the girl said, “to do nothing when one is having a holiday. It is very beautiful here.”
He offered to show her some good walks in the neighbourhood, and put himself very much at her disposal for the remainder of his stay. It transpired that he was leaving at the end of the week.
“There are some beautiful spots to be enjoyed at the expense of a little climbing,” he said. “I’ll show you if you care about it. There’s a kloof within walkable distance that well repays the effort. They found the spoor of a couple of tigers there about a month ago. It’s the sort of place one can imagine wild beasts prowling about in—a tangle of undergrowth, with the moss hanging in long green ribbons from the dead branches of trees. The ferns growing in the water are a sight.”
“It sounds exciting,” Esmé said. “But I’m not keenly anxious to meet wild beasts.”