He had no wish to go; he assured them--so they gathered--that his intention was to devote the morning to their service.
He must have been a stupid man, but it is a type occasionally encountered.

Two pretty women had greeted his advances with apparent delight.

They were Americans, and the American girl was notoriously unconventional.

He knew himself to be a good-looking young fellow.

It did not occur to him that in expressing willingness to dispense with his attendance they could be in earnest.
There was nothing for it, so it seemed to the girls, but to request the assistance of the officer, who continued to skate round and round them at a distance of about ten yards.