No Hero

t," the night being chilly, she had put on her golf-cape as well, and the effect was a little heterogeneous. It also argued qualities other than those for which I was natural

and a very rich one it was-almost deep in tone

f a more understanding sympathy than one usually provoked; for pity and admiration, and even a helple

nswered Bob, in hi

elt bound to add, "and that, unf

raising her eyes from my sticks and gazing at me, I fancied, w

op," said Bob, "and fai

ned; "and you see I didn't lose either, so I've no

hat awful day?" asked Mrs. Lascel

lighten the subject with a laugh.

g like anything about having known you, Duncan, but feeling simply sick with envy all the time. I say, you'll be a tremendous hero up here, you know! I'm awfu

we could empty the hotel and fil

t, and inclined to believe that this was not the type at all. I ought to have known life better. The most scheming mind may well entertain an enthusiasm for arms, genuine enough in itself, at a martial crisis, and a natural manner is by no means incompatible with the cardinal vices. That manner and that enthusiasm were ab

ked me, in a higher

smoke?" I a

etim

aken. I thought I saw t

ng his still. The chances were that they had both been lighted at the same time; therefore the other had been th

the stump of his own cigarette was glowing between a fir

s voice), "the prejudice some people have against la

t it was vaguely connected with my mission, and not unrighteous from that standpoint. I said it was not a question of harm at all, but of what one admired in a woman, and what one did not: a man loved to look upon a wom

-control. "To me it's quite funny. I call it sheer selfishness. We enjoy a cigarette ourselves; why shouldn't they? We don't force them to be teetotal, do we? I

opinion, but only the old-fashioned view of the matter. I wish you'd take

lephane. That old-fashion

ld fire-eater, I believe you just put up the argument to change

eration. I was going to have a s

ld Bob once more. "It's a bit cold standing here, don'

waiting on the full lips; but in the curve of those lips and the look from those eyes, as in the deep chin and the carriage of the hooded head, there was something perhaps not lower than intellect in the scale of personal equipment. There was, at all events, character and to spare. Even by the brief glimmer of a

ere all day? I mean you hale people; o

tact. I did not mean them to take it to themselves, but

eople potter about the glaciers. It's rather sport in the serracs; you've got to rope. But you'll find lots more loafing about the place all d

t there was nothing disingenuous in her reply. It reminded me o

er. It's such fun. We do some little thing every day; to-day we did the Schwarzee. You won't be any wiser, and the real climbers wouldn't call it climbing, b

ous attempt at concealment. Clearly, they had nothing to conceal; and the hotel talk was neither more nor less than hotel talk. There was, nevertheless, a c

o heartily that I could not but believe that he meant what he said. On his side, in that case, there could be absolutely nothing. And yet, again, when Mrs. Lascelles

s more than the authority to which my years entitled

mplimentary to me. "Yes, I should almost go as far myself. Still I don

d down outside this lighted ve

n the sunlight! There's not many of them can stand i

sedulously inoffensive a manner that his self-betrayal was a

, but with difficulty refrained from nodding sapiently to myself. We took a couple of steps in silence, then Bob stopped short. I did the same. He wa

n, with rather less grace than becomes an apolog

eiving them,

whether you accept it or not. I was

r scornfully in the fewest words. The scorn was really for himself, and I could well understand it. Nay, I was glad to have something t

a lunatic about this very thing. Poor chap, he reads like anything, and I suppose he'd been overdoing it, for he actually asked me to choose between Mrs. Lascelles and himself! What could a fellow do but let the poor o

ty on the subject made all the difference in the world. "But whom,

or thought by people I never saw in my life before and am never likely to see again? I know how I'm behaving. What d

n't kno

that is until I saw he was as mad as anything on the subject. It was too silly. I tell you what, though, I'd value your opinion!" And he came to another stop and confronted me again, but this tim

wouldn't,"

y going about with Mrs. Lascelles because I rather like her and she rat

e been yet more characteristic of this clean, sweet youth, with his noble unconsciousness alike of evil and of evil speaking. I told him the tr

ven think of it for another moment? Why not go back to London and tell his mother that her early confidence had not been misplaced, that the lad did know how to take care of himself, and better still of any

en in half an hour! The reason came home t

the dark part of the deserted terrace. It was not the lad whom I distrusted,

after all, in I