Lessingham. Whatever made you choose
Ben Oates? He is a most disgraceful person."
"It was entirely by accident," Lessingham explained. "I met him on
the front. It happened to be a fine morning, and he was rather
pressing in his invitation."
"I'm afraid he didn't show you much sport," Sir Henry observed.
"From what Jimmy Dumble's brother told him, he seems to have taken
you in entirely the wrong direction, and on the wrong tide."
"We had a small catch," Lessingham replied. "I really went more for
the sail than the sport, so I was not disappointed."
"The coast itself," Sir Henry remarked, "is rather an interesting
one."
"I should imagine so," Lessingham assented. "Mr. Ben Oates, indeed,
told me some wonderful stories about it. He spoke of broad channels
down which a dreadnought could approach within a hundred yards of
the land."
"He is quite right, too," his host agreed.
"There's a lot of deep water about here. The whole of the coast is
very curious in that way. What the--what the dickens is this?"
Sir Henry, who had been strolling about the room, picked up a
Homburg hat from the far side of a table of curios. Philippa glanced
up at his exclamation.
"That's Nora's trophy," she explained. "I told her to take it up to
her own room, but she's always wanting to show it to her friends.
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