Sedgwick was shy when there were ladies present, but men did not disconcert him.

He thanked Mr. Hamlin for his kind invitation, but begged to be excused, adding, “I am but a miner, not yet a month from underground.  I have lived a miner’s life for years.  You do not understand, but that is not a good school in which to prepare a student for polite society.”

“Tut, tut,” said the old gentleman, with English heartiness.  “We have a big, rambling old house.  You can have your quarters there.  When you become bored you can retreat to them.  You shall have a key and go and come when you please.  We should all be hurt were not Jack’s friend made welcome under our roof so long as he pleased to remain in London.”

“Well, let me think it over to-night.  If I can gather the courage, maybe I will accept to-morrow,” said Sedgwick.

Then Jenvie interposed, saying, “Mr. Sedgwick, let us make a compromise.  My house is but a step from Hamlin’s; make it your home half the time.  Really it should be.  In England friends only stop at hotels when traveling.”

“Come, Jim,” said Jack; “you see it must be, and that is the right thing.  Ours are old-fashioned people, just up from Devonshire.  What would you have thought had I insisted upon stopping at that hotel at the station near your father’s house?”

Sedgwick yielded at last.  Their trunks were packed in a few minutes, the bill settled, and they drove away.

Reaching the Hamlin home they were shown at once to their apartments, and were informed that so soon as they were ready dinner would be served.

They were not long in dressing, and together they descended to the parlor.  Besides the family, the Jenvie family were also present.  Grace met them at the door, shook hands with Sedgwick, and welcomed him with a word and a smile which set all his pulses bounding, and, taking his arm, presented him to the strangers; then shouted gaily:  “Follow us! dinner is waiting.”

Sedgwick was given the seat at the right of his host; Grace took the seat at his right, with Jack and Rose opposite.

The ladies were radiant in evening costume, and Sedgwick with a mighty effort threw off the depression which had burdened the day and appeared at his very best.

Mrs. Hamlin, judging shrewdly that perhaps it would relieve the stranger from embarrassment to engage him in conversation, with beautiful tact brought him to tell the company of his own country, remarking that “We insular people have but a vague idea at best of America.”

With a smile, Sedgwick replied:  “I do not know very much myself of my native country, for since I left school (here he glanced at Jack and his eyes twinkled) I merely wandered slowly through the southwestern States, almost to the Gulf in Texas, then bending north and west again, continued until I reached the eastern slope of the Sierras, and then made a dive underground and remained there until Jack determined to go home, and I came along to take care of him.”