d the papers, and then gazed out of the window without
speaking. It was not quite dark, and he could see the great oaks in
the park, and the sombre masses of the woods rolling back up the
valley. In the foreground, a sheet of water shone with a pale gleam.
It was a rich and beautiful countryside and much of it belonged to him.
Though his wife had brought him money, Sandymere had long been the
property of the Challoners, and the old house had a picturesque
stateliness, while every field and farmstead had been well cared for.

In process of time it would all be his son's, and, in that sense,
Bertram had more than an individual importance. He was one of a line
of men who had served their country well in court and field, and any
disgrace that fell upon him would taint a respected name and reflect
upon his children, for the family honour was indivisible, a thing that
stretched backwards to the past as well as forward. Now, however, it
was threatened by an unprincipled woman who claimed the power to drag
it in the mire; but Challoner recognized that he could not allow this
to influence him. His private affairs must not count where the
interests of his country were concerned.

"Well," he said at length, "the matter seems difficult to decide. You
have two men of excellent character, whom I know something about, and a
third who has shown ability in a subordinate post."

"Sedgwick? Your manner leads me to believe that you don't quite class
him with the others."

"There is a difference. The first two are honest and reliable but not
brilliant men. Sedgwick is obviously more capable than either, but I
suspect that self-interest is his strongest motive. I knew a major in
his regiment. He might use this appointment to force himself into
prominence."

"It's possible, but that needn't prove a great drawback."

"Is the Cabinet ready to embark upon a bold course of Colonial
expansion?"

"No," said Greythorpe with a smile, "not so far as I'm acquainted with
their views, but we would like the strip of unoccupied territory, and
Sedgwick seems alive to its importance."

"He'll probably get it for you if you give him a chance, but I imagine
he won't stop there. In fact, he may take you much farther than you
wish to go. Suppose he brings off some sensational coup in which you
would have to support him at the expense of France?"

"There might be some risk of that, but he's undoubtedly an able man."

"I think so," Challon