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 And then the man who was doing the singing, and the horse that was carrying the man, emerged suddenly from among the trees and halted, the horse through compulsion and the man through confusion. Mrs. Dunbar thought that she had never seen so handsome a man or so big.

"I beg your pardon," said the man, "but those woods were so beautiful that I thought they would last forever, and I didn't know I was anywhere near anybody. I hope that you didn't think that I was a whole carriageful of loafers with a beer-keg. You see," he said, "I love to sing, and sometimes I can't help doing it." Then the man blushed very becomingly.

"I just talk along," he said, "and leave out the whole point of everything. My name is Beauling, and I think—I mean I hope—you are expecting me to lunch."

Mr. Dunbar put his heels into Lotus, rode up to Beauling, and shook hands with him, liking him at once.

"Of course we're expecting you, Mr. Beauling," he said; "and the manner in