bewildered and uncomfortable. If Gerald hadn't liked praise of Chev, he
had liked praise of himself even less, it seemed.

Dinner was not a success. The Virginian found that, if there was to be
conversation, the burden of carrying it on was upon him, and gosh! they
don't mind silences in this man's island, do they? he commented
desperately to himself, thinking how different it was from America. Why,
there they acted as if silence was an egg that had just been laid, and
everyone had to cackle at once to cover it up. But here the talk
constantly fell to the ground, and nobody but himself seemed concerned
to pick it up. His attempt to praise Chev had not been successful, and
he could understand their not wanting to hear about flying and the war
before Gerald.

So at last, in desperation, he wandered off into descriptions of
America, finding to his relief, that he had struck the right note at
last. They were glad to hear about the States, and Lady Sherwood
inquired politely if the Indians still gave them much trouble; and when
he assured her that in Virginia, except for the Pocahontas tribe, they
were all pretty well subdued, she accepted his statement with complete
innocency. And he was so delighted to find at last a subject to which
they were evidently cordial, that he was quite carried away, and would
up by inviting them all to visit his family in Richmond, as soon as soon
as the war was over.

Gerald accepted at once, with enthusiasm; Lady Sherwood made polite
murmurs, smiling at him in quite a warm and almost, indeed, maternal
manner. Even Sir Charles, who had been staring at the food on his plate
as if he did not quite know what to make of it, came to the surface long
enough to mumble, "Yes, yes, very good idea. Countries must carry on