Task: Question Answering
Input (English): Context: My answers were polite one or two syllable replies , hoping that he would get the hint . He did not . So he chatted on for about 5 mins before he finally caught on and the conversation died away . I reached Bukit Merah at 8 am so I had some choice of seating . The earlier birds had all occupied the back rows and the next available empty seat was about mid way of the auditorium . 
Question: What can plausibly be the hint to which the author makes reference in the paragraph ?
Output (English): The author is alluding to the notion that they wanted to be left undisturbed by strangers while t travelling .