Captain Jim

pardon-is th

d with a start. The questioner was in uniform, bearing a captain's three sta

he answered. "Did you-have

eek," the officer said

m in your brother's

ret

he put out her hand, and felt it taken in a close grasp. "But we

Garrett

r time, but I did think a week would have been long enough. I wrote directly I

suddenly dawn

red Person!" she

you," replied he, lo

h la

t," she said-"at least

come to stay,

was good enough to-

People, you see; we want to get as many of you as we can and make you fit. And

n't," said Gar

st for you. I'm so ver

your luggage a

enient to have me, Miss Linton? I

ll to-day, because Dad has gone to London, and there's only me." Norah's grammar was never her strong point

I like them-got some young br

enby will show you your room. The car will br

room-a delightful little corner room looking south and west, with dainty blue hangings and wall-paper, and a big couch that beckoned temptingly to a tired man. Captain Garrett had had fourteen months in France without a break. He had spent the previous night in the leave-train, only pausing in London for a hasty "clean-up." The lavender-scented blue room was like a glimpse of Heaven to him. He did not want to leave it

ho greeted the newcomer with coolness, and then suddenly f

dy's regiment!

smiled at him.

he satisfaction of seeing the new office

-does Major Hunt live here? I

he corner of that bush

rhododendron. "Is

," Geoff answered. "But

k her if we may come to tea," Norah said. T

of training, so they gave me a commission among the first. I didn't see such a lot of the Major, for he was doing spe

r," Norah said cheerfully. "

tention to anything in the shape of a rule. Michael, indeed, declined to be hid, and played on a steady line of his own, which consisted in toddling after his mo

reeted Garr

u must come to tea, Norah. I'd ask you to lunch, only I'm perfectly certain there isn't enough to eat! And Geoff would be so disgusted at bein

for a ride after lunch, and get back in time for tea, if you'll put up with me in

since the battalion went back into billets: a benevolent gunner used to len

e horse?" Geo

o shake all over when it saw a Staff-officer!" He grinned. "Or perhaps I did. On duty, that horse was as steady as old Tim

noon, Geoff," said Norah. "Come on,

wards the stables. On the way appeared a form in

t me, Katty?

coming, miss, on a bicycl

brows over the she

long. Dad says he's bringing two people down to-night-Colonel and Mrs. West. Isn't it exciting! I'll have to leave you

ey, bursting with im

'll let you pat my

d depressed at No

ourly. "It makes a difference. And of course I real

r anything you want

things likewise. I must talk to the cook. It would be so much easier

with the dressing

ular ways: I found Bride helping to catch a fowl this morning when she should

with the appearance of Mrs. Atkins, full of cold wrath; and she had heard Bride's comment afterwards

"Extraordinary ways. Ve

ey do their work, don

ough more work in two hours than Sarah in a morning, were never unwilling, and accepted any and every job

d. In the hall she met Katty, who jumpe

is only yesterday she was explaining to me that a kitchenmaid has no business in the hall, at all. But Bridie was

o a mighty pair of horns on the wall behi

hings walked the plains of Ireland," she said at l

tting on, Katty

e day, if I kape on watchin' her. She's not like the fine English cooks I've heard of, that 'ud no more let you se

ere moments when her housekeeper se

ood she's not so bad. She found that out when she let fly a pillow at her, and they bedmaking," said

ah said, laughing. The

th a sudden pillow, w

Misther Jones and the groom-they're very friendly. And the money we'll have t

g sharply, and Norah r

i

. "Good-I'm in a hurry. I say, can y

h ga

said, grimly. "Who is

ll

a bit down on his luck." His voice died away in a complicated jumble of whir and buzz, the bell rang fran

there?" s

z!" said th

st to Jim to regain his connexion. Finally, she decided to ring: and was just about to put down the receiver when Jim's voice said, "Are you there?

ase?" said a

o me-you've cut me off,"

ten minutes. You shouldn't have rung off

ed her feelin

akable machine! And I'm due in three minutes-I must fly. Sure you can have Hardress? He'll get to you by t

heerful nonsense, without any hindrance at all. Norah wished she knew a little more about her new "case"; if he were very weak-if special food were needed. It was very provoking. Also, there was Mrs. A

pleasantly, "there's another

ned, cold surpr

d will that be al

Norah recklessly. "That de

which room is t

tt's, please. I can do it,

ns froze

ther you did not, miss

n can take a message for anything y

larger supplies," said the housekeeper. The conv

ely. "If she didn't want to housekeep, why does she go o

ight!" She told him of the expected arrivals, half expecti

rs, miss, you can't get on very well without them." He looked in a fatherly

anything but confident. "Allenby-I don't know much about m

ade some people bad-tempered, and they can't 'elp it. I'll see that things are all right; and as f

arriving. Norah had managed to forget her troubles during the afternoon. A long ride had been followed by a very cheerful tea at Mrs. Hunt's, from which she and Garre

letting in a breath

e heard her father's voice; and then she was g

p. How brave! Fancy you, only-what is it-a flapper! An

her's face, set in grim lines. She checked a sudden

explosively, "Haw! Delighted! Cold night, what?"-which had the effect of making his hostess absolutely speechless. Somehow with the a

" said his daughter, r

nd felt hurriedly for his pipe. "Haven't had a chance of a

perching on the arm of his chair, and

ays, but he doesn't look like it. Anyhow, they're hard up, I believe; their home is broken up and

But they're not the only ones, Dad: Captain Garrett is here, and Jim is sending some one called Hardress by

t with brigadiers," said her father. "I s

out on Killaloe. I'm a little uneasy about the Hardress person, because he's just out of a convalescent home, an

him. How is the household

except Mrs. Atkins, an

rested. I haven't dar

lenby says sh

tkins been

ll her exactly a bright spot in the house. But sh

oman worry you," sai

id Norah. "Don't think about Mrs. Atkins, or

earing a little tray. "I thought I was too late

master. "Just a little toast, sir, it being so late. And if you please, mis

compound in a bowl. Katty, hugely important, darted hithe

nt of you. Promise me"-she leaned forward earnestly-"to use a thin spoon to help it, and slide it in edgeways as gently as-as if you were st

promised her, resistin

as possible, won't you? It will be put on the table after all the other sweets. Every second will be of importance!" She sighed. "A souffle never gets a fair cha

her. "I'm sure it will be lovely. Shall I c

Lisle

ike this is an inspiration-like a sonata to a musician. But no one ever dreams of the cook; and the most you can expect from a butler

Dad goes to London, we'll give every one else a holiday and you and I will hav

Miss de Lisle

ne cheek, and her mouth quivered like a child's. "Dear me, how foolish I am," said the poor cook-lady, rubbing her face with her overall, and

elf patting the

id. "Now, don't you worry about a

it! You have no idea what that means. Now, if I sat here mixing, and thought of, say, Mrs. Atkins, it would probably be as heavy as lead!

oked emb

prove him wrong, some day, Miss de Lisle, shall we? Now I must go: the motor

tkins!" she

elp was needed in the kitchen. Perhaps, as you are h

de Lisle airily, over her shoulder.

e cook-lady. "Well, don't worry, my

pped head

n't give me so much as a look-in, above: if it was to turn down the beds, itself, it's as much as she'

, she'd go upstairs reshted in hersilf," said Katty in a loud wh

Miss de Lisle. Norah had a vision of Bride, ecstatical

turned the corner. A tall man in a big milita

tain Hardre

lance she thought one of the ugliest she had ever seen. Then t

orm this way. But your brother

r afraid you might be a brigadier. She loses her nerve a

accustomed to people with one or two stars: even three are r

been so long in hospital that I've almost forgotten how to speak to any one except doct

your room, or if you'd rather come down." She had a sudden vision of Mrs. West's shr

ss hes

ton. "Just for to-night-till you feel rested. I'll c

dress. "Well, if you're sure it would

as a good fire, Allenby-and take some papers and magazines up." She looked sadly after the tall figu

e put his arm round her as they went into the drawing-room to await their gue

h. "But he has such a sorry fa

p him smiling," said Da

who had assisted in her toilette, reported to the kitchen that she didn't take much stock in a dress that was moulting its sequins for all the world like an old hen; but Norah saw no deficiencies, and was greatly impressed by her guest's magnificence. She was

r-time! Dear me, I feel I ought to protest, only I haven't sufficient moral courage; and those pine logs are too delicious. Perhaps

a reply, and fa

lians are so original-so quaintly original. It must be the wild life you lead. So unlike dear, quiet

t," Mr. Linton told her. "The 'wild life in savage plac

we are not aloof-not uninterested. We recognize the fascination of it all. The glamour-yes, the glamour. G

tralian," said Mr. Linton. T

lows in the street in London. So tall and stern under their great slouch-hats. Outposts of Empire, that is what I say to mysel

efore, and had been enjoying himself hugely in the background, n

did you say?" asked M

m one world into anoth

sterday 'mid the thund

and to-n

Surrey," said Ga

seems so remote. You must tell me s

ve any," said G

u. Quite. I used to say to all our subalterns, 'Now, remember that this house is open to you at any time.' I felt that th

hey?" Garr

I wanted to help them. And my h

of the present day, unless it's to te

lad. And our regiment had quite a name for nice subalterns. Th

st. "Doesn't care for anything

ounced, and the rest of the sentence was lost-which

and Bride as attendant sprites, seemed to intensify the solemnity of everything. However, no one seemed to notice anything unusual, and conversation flowed apace. Colonel West did not want to talk: such cooking as Miss de Lisle's appeared to him to deserve the compli

, as they returned to the drawing-room. "Such

you liked it,

; your face was so anxious-you insinuated the spoo

rst out

on. So I told Allenby to stand the spoon in a jug of boiling water, and give it to me at the very last moment. He was holding it i

d Mrs. West. "So your exp

all I could do to hold it. But the souffle was

Lisle? Yo

oesn't it?" said Norah

e you to eat is so murdered in the cooking that you can hardly swallow it. Economical for the management, but not very good for the guests. But one must take things as they

air, Mrs. West," she said. "

s. It seemed too good to be true. So I had to send Algernon to his club, and I rushed back to my boarding-house and packed my things: and then I had to do some shopping, and meet t

h entered with coffee, and she fussed gently about her guest, settlin

ner dropped from her, and she became more natural. "My children are all boys: I often have been

er-he's in Captain

back to Austral

y away from Australia," Norah said

not made you care

's all very well in its way, but it si

t w

hesi

, and it's full of history, and we all love it for that. But it isn't our own country. The people are different-more reserved, and stiffer. But it isn't even that. I don'

country lif

s a job hanging to it-to bring in cattle, or count them, or see that a fence is all right, or to bring home the mail. Every one is busy, and the life all

es. Then the men came in, and the evening went by quickly enough with games and music. Captain Garrett proved to be the possessor of a very fair tenor, together with a knack

torn off of us," breathed Katty. "But 'tis worth th

said Bride loyally. "'Tisn't the big voice sh

ests and shown Mrs. West to her room, went softly along the corridor.

with a fire burning merrily in the grate. The cook-lady herself was an extra

? Poor child, what an evening! I wonder would you

trivet by the grate. There was a tray on a little table, bear

to eat dinner. But the souffle was just perfect, Miss de Lisle. I

on of a high-priestess. "Allenby told me how you arrang

They grew merry over the story, and the spongecake

st. "It's been so nice: thank

k you for staying," sai

ome again,

along to her room-unconscious that another doorway was a couple of inch

alf-open, and the room

"You, you bad child! I thoug

ah said. "How did th

hter made a good hostess. I think t

he. "They seemed hap

Hardre

on a couch, with a rug over him, reading. Allenby said he

adly woun

he had been a long while in hospital. But I'm sor

t try to buck him up. I suppose Allenby will

nded officer.' I believe I found myself apologizing. There are times when Allenby quite fails to hide his opinion of a