By an amusing chance, Mr. Price undertook to talk to
Mrs. Sykes ; and if ever Greek met Greek it was on
that occasion. They mutuaUy plied each other with
questions until they were both exhausted, and then
parted with a hearty mutual dislike. His first, to put
it in charade form, was, " Pleasant journey out here ?
Scalper's ticket or regular one ?" and the information
she gleaned from him about railway-tickets alone ought
to have made her more lenient in her judgment of him,
especially as she made it the basis of a settlement with
Sir Eobert a few days later when they went over their
accounts for travelling expenses, and she refused to pay
for any but a scalper's ticket from New York to Kalsing,
on the ground that Sir Eobert ought to have managed
better and not have put her to " unnecessary expense."
She ungratefully spoke of Mr. Price as " an inquisitive
little beast," however, and he said of her that she could
ask more questions than anybody he had ever met since
he was bom, and was " eaten up with curiosity." " Ask-
ing me who Mr. Ketchum was, and what he is worth,
and whether they knew many nice people, and a hun-
dred things," he said. " I hate a curious woman. I've
got no use for them." Nor had he.
