er faster these many years
back, five years counted for little. He had a hale, hearty old life.
Surely the Lord in His goodness would permit him to look on Nelly's
happiness and his grandchildren! It was another thing to think of
Nelly's children when the match was not of the Dowager's making.

He inspired Nelly with something of his own hopefulness. She saw that he
had some design which she was not to share. Well, she could trust his
love to move mountains for her happiness. The evening was far better
than she could have hoped for, and she went to bed comforted.

"Early breakfast, Nell," he said as they parted. "I've ordered it for
eight o'clock. But I shan't expect to see you unless you feel like it.
These cold mornings it's allowable to be a little lazy."

This from the General, who rose at half-past six all the year round and
had his cold bath even when he had to break the ice on it. Nelly's
laziness, too, was a matter of recent date. She had always loved the
winter and had seemed to glow the fresher the colder the weather.

The General thought of himself as an arch-diplomatist, but he was
transparent enough to his daughter.

"He doesn't want me at breakfast," she said to herself. "He doesn't want
me to ask questions. So I shall save him embarrassment by not
appearing."

The next morning there was no General to see the squadron of the old
regiment gallop past. No family prayers either. What were things coming
to? the servants asked each other. And second breakfast at nine for Miss
Nelly!

"Take my word for it," said Bridget to Pat, "the next thing'll be Miss
Nelly havin' her breakfast in bed like Lord Dunshanbo's daughters. Five
of them there was, Pat, all old maids. And they used to sit round in
their beds, every one with a satin quilt, and their hair in curl-papers,
and a newspaper spread out to save the quilt."

"'Tis too early and too cowld," said Pat, interrupting this
reminiscence, "for the master to be goin' out. And he doesn't like bein'
put out of his habits, not by the half of a second. I used to think
before I was a soldier that punctuality was the most onnecessary thing
on earth, but I've come to like it somehow."

"The same here," said Bridget, "though it wasn't in my blood. I wondher
what they'd think of us at home?"

CHAPTER XVI

THE LEADING AND THE LIGHT

The General was at Fenchurch Street by half-past nine. He rather
expected to see old Grogan on the platform, and was not sur