n if he comes in here."

"Why?" Mrs. Chudleigh asked in well-simulated surprise, though she saw
the opportunity she had been waiting for was now offered her.

"I knew his son and nephew; served with them in India for a time,"
Walters answered with some embarrassment. "That's why Foster warned me
to keep out of Challoner's way. He seemed to think it would be
considerate."

Challoner passed on, and Mrs. Chudleigh fixed her eyes on Walters. "I
see. You must have taken part in a certain unfortunate affair on the
frontier in which the hill men get the best of it."

The blood crept into Walters' face, but he answered simply: "I did. It
is not a subject one talks about."

"That's natural; one can understand the feelings of the mess, but the
thing isn't quite a secret, and I daresay you break through your
reserve now and then. Surely you don't refuse your confidence to your
friends?"

Her manner was reproachful, as though she felt hurt because he could
not trust her, and he looked confused.

"I couldn't doubt that anything I said would be safe with you, but it's
a painful subject. Besides, you obviously know something about the
matter."

"I do, but not much. I knew Bertram Challoner and have met Richard
Blake. Then at one time I heard a good deal about the frontier and
that makes me curious." She paused, and gave him a look he could not
resist. "I want to know what really happened; won't you tell me? You
can rely upon my treating it in the strictest confidence."

Walters felt reluctant, but he was grateful to her, and flattered by
her preference. She was a handsome woman and much sought after, but
she had often devoted an hour to enlivening his forced idleness when
there were more exciting occupations open to her.

"I couldn't refuse you anything after the way you have helped me
through a rather trying time," he declared. "When one has been pretty
active, it isn't easy to resign oneself to being laid upon the shelf,
and you cheered me up when I most needed it. Well, I was with the
expedition and we had shelled an old hill fort to bits and laid a heavy
fire on two or three villages, with the object of keeping their
inhabitants quiet, but it hadn't that effect. All their friends came
down to help in cutting us off as we went home and I'm still surprised
that they didn't succeed. They sniped our camp every night and had a
number of brushes with the rearguard as we hurried back through the
hills; but i