felt the strength of the opposing forces, and held them in check while
the counsels of the defense were taken and its measures perfected. The
order is issued--Let them come on--and on they come, to their triumph or
their overthrow. But all this is woman's campaigning--to be dimly
understood in its outlines, vaguely grasped in its general principles;
but how precisely those preliminary operations are performed man, when
he has the best opportunity of discovering, is generally too flurried to
observe nicely, too deeply engaged in developing his attack to see, more
than half blindly, the maneuvers that allow him an open field for it.

Somehow then, on that Thursday, Jenny offered battle--and on two fronts.
She threw her ally Margaret open to Lacey's assault; she accepted, on
her own account, a direct attack from Dormer. She wished the offensive
operations to be practically simultaneous, and substantially achieved
the object. One took place before four in the afternoon--the other not
later than nine o'clock at night.

Keenly recognizing the fact that I was not wanted at the Priory--I am
not sure that Jenny's pointed remark that she would be glad to see me
"after dinner" did not assist the recognition--I remained in my own
quarters after returning from our couple of hours' morning work. I
rather thought that I might be called into action again later on, but I
was not concerned in the present operations.

At five in the afternoon Lacey came to me--in a state of the greatest
agitation. He just strode in, without asking any leave, and plumped
himself down by my hearthstone. His eyes were very bright, his hands and
legs seemed quite unable to keep still. Obviously something decisive had
happened.

"I've done it, Austin!" he said. "I never thought I should be so happy
in my life--and I never thought I should feel such a beast either."

"Congratulations! And explanations? It sounds a curious frame of mind."

"Margaret's accepted me--and I'm on my way to Fillingford to tell my
father. Miss Driver insisted on my doing it at once--said it was the
only square thing. Otherwise--By Jove, I'd rather charge a battery!"

He got up and began to walk about the room; its dimensions were far too
small, whether for his long legs or for his explosive state of mind.

"By gad, Austin, you should have seen how she looked!"

"Miss Driver?"

"No, no, man, Margaret. I was awfully doubtful--well, a fellow doesn't
want to talk about his feel