I remember who you mean. Is he coming here? I
wonder--come away from the window, Joe!"

The front door bell rang in a distant part of the house; she dropped
her knitting on a small side table and walked quietly out of the room.
"I'll tell mother," she said as she went out.

"You needn't trouble to do that," said Joe. "She's out--I thought you
knew." But the door had closed.

A moment later the Indiarubber Man was ushered in. The two
representatives of His Majesty's Navy shook hands. "I recognised you
from your photograph," said the host. "D'you remember the wedding
group? You were a groomsman when Jack and Milly were married, weren't
you?"

"I was," replied the Indiarubber Man. "I performed a number of menial
offices that day. But were you there? I don't seem to remember you."

Joe shook his head. "No, I had mumps. Wasn't it rot? It must have
been an awful good rag. But I remember about you because Betty told me
afterwards--she's my sister, you know. She said you were--oh, here she
is."

Betty entered. She cast one swift glance at her brother that might
have been intended to convey interrogation or admonition, or both, and
then greeted the Indiarubber Man with friendly composure. "How nice of
you to come and see us! Mother is out, I'm afraid, but she will
probably be in presently. Do sit down. Yes, of course I remember
you--Joe, ring the bell, and we'll have tea."

"We were 'opposite numbers' at your brother's wedding," said the
Indiarubber Man, taking a seat, and nervously hitching up the legs of
his trousers to an unnecessary extent.

"Yes, I remember restraining you with difficulty from going into the
garden to eat worms! Nobody----" she broke off abruptly. "What a long
time ago that seems!" She laughed quietly and considered him with
merriment in her pretty eyes. The Indiarubber Man made a swift mental
comparison between the schoolgirl bridesmaid who vied with midshipmen
in devouring ices, and his hostess of three years or so later.

"Doesn't it?" he said. For one instant their eyes met, shyly
questioning, a little curious. The laughter died out of hers.

"My eldest brother's in the North Sea now. We haven't seen him since
the War started."

The Indiarubber Man nodded. "Yes, he's in a battle-cruiser, isn't he?
We don't get ashore much either, as a matter of fact. But to-day----"
He entered into a lengthy statement of naval policy that led up to his
visit and the circumstan