Three Men and a Maid

r feeling a little dizzy when he is called upon suddenly and without any warning to readjust all his preconceived views on any subject. Listening to Eustace Hignett's story of his blighted romance, S

ject of Eustace Hignett's affections. And how they had proved to be one and the same. It was dist

his point of view never occurred to Samuel Marlowe. The way he looked at it was that he had been all wrong about Wilhelmina Bennett. Eustace, he felt, h

oken off the engagement, but what right had he to go about the place expecting her to be engaged to him? Eustace Hignett, no doubt, looked upon the poor girl as utterly heartless. Marlowe regarded her behaviour as thoroughly sensible. She had made a mistake, and, realising this at the eleventh hour, she had had the fo

sed it a few times. "Billie … Billie … Billie…." It certainly ran pleasantly off the tongue. "Billie Bennett." Very mu

all-he would enjoy a further chat about his ruined life. Besides, he had another reason for seeking Eustace's society. As a man who had been actually engaged to marry this supreme girl, Eustace Hignett had an attraction for S

to think of purely inland scenes and objects he had contrived to reduce the green in his complexion to a mere ti

't stand there swaying li

rbour yet. Surely you aren't

e last ten minutes by thinking steadily of the Sahara. There," said Eustace Hignett with enthusiasm, "is

own on th

er topics. Why not, for instance, tell me some more about your unfortun

on earth did you get the id

alled Wilhelmina were someti

lmina. But I really cannot talk abou

want. It's the counter

oon forget that you're

stace reflectively. "It's very good of y

at I can do … where did you m

he had just recollected the fish they had served at that dinner-a flabby and

st forcibly about her a

upp

know she had

ed that any girl with whom you f

as it happens. Her hair was re

h the sun on them!" sai

thing! That is an absol

were a de

ather,

lu

a shade of green

know about the colour

telling you about her,

end to doubt your special knowledge, but after all green eyes generally do go with red hair and there are all shades of green. There is

ace! Now you've gone and reminded me

it helps one to form a mental picture of people if one knows something about their tastes-what sort of things they are

sorts o

but

ery fond of poetry. It was tha

for the last line of a limerick in a competition in a weekly paper, but he was self-critic enough to know that poetry was not his long suit. Stil

pecial

tuff. You never read my sonnet

poets did she li

a reminiscent quiver in his voice. "The hours we h

Sam, taking a pencil from his

which would be considered inadequate by a common earthworm,

dear old chap; Ten

ay! Have I heard of Te

uppose you haven't a co

chan

used to read together. Take it and keep it or th

sers in the bag and presently came upon a morocco

at was her name again? Bennett-this Miss Bennett. You have a wonderful knack of description. You make he

ubject came up once and she se

er talk to a girl ab

ly to be in a positi

t about either, I

, tell me, were there any topics which got on Miss Bennett's nerves, if you know what I mean? It seems to me that at one time or another you may have said s

y brute of a Pekingese. If there was ever any shadow of disagreement between us, it had to do with

e shot his cuff once

conci

, that must hav

mean-were to have been married. It is some satisfaction to me in my broken state to remember that I

his head r

cuff and added the words "Vitally important" to what he h

minded her that we were all fighters now-a-days, that life itself was in a sense a fight: but she wouldn't be reasonable about it. She said that Sir Galahad would have done it like a shot. I thought not. We have no evidence whatsoever that Si

rself to Eustace Hignett? How could she be content with a craven who, instead of scouring the world in the quest for deeds of daring do, had fallen down so lamentably on his first assignment? There was a specious attractiveness about poor old Eustace which might conceivably win a girl's heart for a time; he wrote poetry

ost at once. She had put on one of these nice sacky sport-coats which so enhance feminine charms, and was striding along the de

smile his self-esteem almost caused him to explode. What magic there is in a girl's smil

you are, Mr

Bream Mortimer, with a sli

breath of fresh air be

m!" said

el

avy coat of mine down to my state-room

ry it," s

u with it. Trot along and put it on the ber

," said Br

man feels that all he needs in order to b

uggested Sam. He felt that a resolute man with legs as long as Bream's

yes!

el

hirrup a little more to poor Pi

s back; but Bream's back looked like that of a man to whom the thought has occurred t

he way?" enquired Sam solicitously

and she fixed up some sort of a mixture for Pinky which did him a world of good. I don't know what was in it except Worcester Sauce, but she said s

"Pure animal spirits! I like to see t

you? S

fight so much. I'm alwa

I'm rather helpless myself. There never seems anything to catch h

olume of

fond of T

his cuff-"those Idylls of the King! I do not like to think wh

together. He is

is something a

! I've felt that

written something that runs to a couple of verses, but where Tennyson had the bulge was that his l

as though you

n, you can generally find me o

rdinary that we should

ght to be gr

he best of three replies w

rush. But we shall see one an

ll," s

and read

ou and I an

to sit down below and

does he k

lie. "I'm going to