ian service, met his cousin, Bertram, who
was in the line, somewhere on the frontier. They were both sent with
an expedition into the hills, and there was a night attack. It was
important that an advanced post should be defended, and Dick had laid
out the trenches. In the middle of the fight an officer lost his
nerve, the position was stormed, and the expedition terribly cut up.
Owing to the darkness and confusion there was a doubt about who had led
the retreat, but Dick was blamed and made no defence. In spite of
this, he was acquitted at the inquiry, perhaps because he was a
favourite and Colonel Challoner was well known upon the frontier, but
the opinion of the mess was against him. He left the service and the
Challoners never speak of him."

"I once met Lieutenant Blake," Millicent broke in with a flush in her
face. "Though he only spoke a word or two to me, he did a very
chivalrous thing; one that needed courage and coolness. I find it hard
to believe he could be a coward."

"So do I," Mrs. Keith agreed. "Still I must say that I haven't seen
him since he was a boy."

"I met him once," said Mrs. Ashborne. "There was a man in the hotel
yesterday who strongly reminded me of him, but I think he must have
left last night."

"I have forgotten my letters, but I know from whom they come, and
they'll no doubt give me some news of the wedding," Mrs. Keith
remarked, and while she opened them Millicent sat looking down on the
glistening river with her thoughts far away.

She was reconstructing a scene from the past, and she could picture
with vivid distinctness the small, untidy drawing-room of a London
flat, in which she sat, alone and half-dismayed, one evening soon after
she had joined her father. A few beautiful objects of art were
scattered amongst the shabby furniture; there were stains of wine on
the fine Eastern rug, an inlaid table was scraped and damaged, and one
chair had a broken leg. All she saw spoke of neglect and vanished
prosperity. Hoarse voices and loud laughter came from an adjoining
room and a smell of cigar smoke accompanied them. Sitting at the
piano, she restlessly turned over some music and now and then played a
few bars to divert her troubled thoughts. Until a few weeks before she
had led a peaceful life in the country, and the finding her father of
such doubtful character and habits had been a painful surprise.

She was interrupted by the violent opening of the door and a group o