ave something definite in mind
as to your plans before you put the matter to him. If you tell him you
don't know what to do about it he will be in a dreadful state. He is
very far from well, and all this business has told on him dreadfully."

"That is very excellent advice, Miss McLeod," Dennis agreed warmly.
"Ronald, we'll go and disguise ourselves as ordinary, undisturbed
human beings and hide our fears and doubts behind the breastplate of
a starched shirt. Come along."

So Dennis dragged me away, and then, realising his indiscretion,
allowed me to return to my _fiancee_ "just for two minutes, old
fellow."

Dinner was a curious meal, though not quite so strange as the meal the
General and I had together the night, less than a week before, that
Myra lost her sight.

I hope I shall never live through a week like that again. Even now, as
I look back, I cannot believe that it all happened in seven days. It
still seems to have been something like seven months at the very
least.

We had one thing in our favour as we sat down to the table; we all had
a common object in view. We were each of us determined to forget the
green ray for a moment. Fortunately the old man took an immediate
fancy to Dennis and that brightened me considerably. There are few
things so pleasant as to see those whose opinion you value getting on
with your friends. Only once, and that after Mary McNiven had come to
take poor Myra away, did the subject of the green ray crop up.

"Mr. Burnham knows about it all, I suppose?" the General asked.

"I've told him everything, and Garnesk and I went over the whole thing
with him before the train went."

"Good!" said the old man emphatically. "Excellent fellow
Garnesk--excellent; in fact, I don't know when I've met such a
thundering good chap. No new developments, I suppose?"

I hesitated. I could not have brought myself to lie to him, and in
view of the startling complications with which we had so recently been
confronted, I was at a loss for an answer. Dennis came to my rescue
just in time.

"I think Ron's difficulty is in defining the word 'developments,'
General," said he. "If we said there were developments it would
naturally convey the impression that we had something definite to
report. I think perhaps the best way to put it would be that we
believe we are getting on the right scent, by the simple process of
putting two and two together and making them four. We hope to have
something very deci