Mona rearranged her cushions.
"Do you still believe in nice men, Mona?"
"I always did."
"Ah, that's a pity. You will never know the joys of conversion."
"Who has been converting the pessimist in the hammock?"
"Oh, I am a hopeless sceptic. But I like Dr Dudley all the same. He seems to have an awfully good influence on the students. He is a good deal older than they are, and he lives his life according to his own tastes, without posing as a saint or being mistaken for a muff. What I liked was his manner with those horrid dirty 'casuals.' And then he is just enough of a cynic to give an edge to it all."
"I am afraid I am too old to appreciate cynics."
"Poor soul!" said Lucy, in a tone of profound commiseration. "Life is indeed a thing of the past for you. Cynics are the spice of the world. However, it seems to me the Mater should come up at once. It would not do for her to be here during the hottest of the summer. I will write to her this very day."
She proceeded to alight from the hammock as she spoke.
"By the way, Mona," she said suddenly, "you must have seen Dr Dudley. He was Anatomy medallist."