aid the sister, who knew him with the thoroughness of
a nursery companion. "He will do his own wooing. He would not thank us
for doing it for him."

All next day Nelly waited. After the very early morning she did not dare
go outdoors lest he should come in her absence. The General went off to
his club to be out of the way. At a quarter to seven he opened the door
with his latch-key and came in, more than half-expecting to find an
overcoat which did not belong to him in the hall. There was none; and he
went on to the drawing-room with a vague sense of disappointment.
Langrishe must have been and gone.

In the drawing-room he found Nelly alone.

"Well, papa," she said, as he came in, and offered no further remark.

"No one been, Nell?" he asked, with a little foreboding.

"No one."

"Ah, well, to be sure the boat must have arrived late. They may not have
got back to town till to-day."

The next day passed in the same way, and the next day. The fourth day
Nelly went out and did her Christmas shopping. She held her head high
now, in a spirited way which hurt her father to see, for her face was
very pale. That evening she put on a little scarlet silk dinner-jacket,
in which the General declared that she looked every inch a soldier's
daughter. But the brilliant colour only made her look paler by contrast.

On the fifth day the General, instead of going to his club, went to see
Mrs. Rooke and fortunately found her at home. He hardly knew the little
woman, but she was a friend of Nell's and had been good to her. Besides,
he was so bent upon getting to the root of the business about Langrishe
and Nell that he felt no embarrassment on the subject of his errand.

"My dear," he said, bowing over Mrs. Rooke's pretty hand--he had a
charming way with women--"I have come without my daughter knowing.
Perhaps she would never forgive me if she knew. Tell me: what is the
mystery about your brother? Why has he not been to see us?"

"I am so glad you came to ask me, Sir Denis," Mrs. Rooke replied. "I was
just about to go to Nelly. Godfrey is so obstinate. The doctors cannot
say yet if he is going to be a cripple or not. His sword-arm was almost
slashed through. Jerome Rooke, my brother-in-law, says it will be all
right. On the other hand, Sir Simon Gresham shakes his head over it.
Godfrey is to see him again in a few weeks' time. He is waiting for his
verdict before he speaks to Nelly. My opinion is that if the verdict is
adverse