u justly
pointed out to me a week or two ago."

Roy groaned. The irony of the situation stung like a whip-lash. "_Did_
it amount to an engagement?" he persisted.

"There or thereabouts." Lance paused and took a long pull at his cigar.
"_But_--it was quite between ourselves--in fact, conditional on ... the
headway I could manage to make. She--cared, in a way. Not--as I do. That
was one hitch. The other was Oh 'Ell's antipathy to soldiers, as
husbands for her precious family. She--Rose--knew there would be
ructions; a downright tussle, in fact. Well--she'll go almost any length
to avoid ructions; specially with her mother. I don't blame her. The
woman's a caution. So--she shirked facing the music ... till she felt
quite sure of herself...."

"_Till_ she felt sure of herself, there should have been _no_
engagement," Roy decreed, amazed at his own rising anger. "Unfair on
you."

Desmond's smile was the ghost of its normal self. "You always were a bit
of a purist, Roy! Besides--it was my doing again. I pressed the point.
And I think ... she liked me ... loving her. She really seemed to be
coming my way--till _you_ turned up----" He clenched his hand and leaned
back again, drawing a deep breath. "I'm forcing myself to tell you all
this--since you've asked for it--because I won't have you blaming
_her_----"

Roy said nothing. Remembering how, throughout, the initiative had been
hers, how hard he had striven against being ensnared, he did blame her,
a good deal more than he could very well admit to this friend, whose
single-hearted devotion made his own mere mingling of infatuation and
passion seem artificial as gaslight in the blaze of dawn.--But knowing
so much, he must know all.

"How long--was it on?"

"Oh, about three weeks before you came. _I_ was on a long while. Before
Christmas."

"Since when has it been--off?"

Lance hesitated. "Well--things became shaky after Kapurthala. That
day--the wedding, you remember?--I spoke rather straight ... about you.
I saw you were getting keen. And I didn't want you to come a
cropper----"

"Why the devil didn't you tell me the _truth_?"

Lance set his lips. "Of course I wanted to. But--it was difficult. She
said--not any one. Made a point of it. Not even Paul. And I was keen for
her to feel quite free; no slur on her--if things fell through. So--as I
couldn't warn you, I spoke to her. Perhaps I was a fool. Women are
queer. You can never be sure ... and it seemed to have