s that
was the only account of her circulated in the neighbourhood, I shall
simply refer to her in the meantime as Miss Burnett. It is the only
name that I have to call her by to her face.

As to her appearance, I can only say that she is the most beautiful
woman I have ever met in my life. The delicacy and distinction of her
features, her dark eyebrows, her entrancing eye, and her thoughtful
mouth, so firm and yet so sweet, her delicious figure and graceful
carriage--heavens, I have never seen any girl to approach her! What is
more, she has a face which I _trust_. I have had some experience of
women, and I could feel at the first exchange of glances and of words
that here was one of those rare women on whom a man could implicitly
rely.

"Have you just landed upon these islands?" I inquired.

"Not to-day," she said; and indeed, when I came to think of it, she
would not have had time to reach the house in that case.

"Did you have much difficulty?" I asked.

"The minister's sister is always admitted," said Tiel with his dry
smile.

I asked presently if she had travelled far. She shrugged her
shoulders, gave a delightful little laugh, and said--

"We get so used to travelling that I have forgotten what 'far' is!"

Meanwhile tea was brought in, and Miss Burnett sat down and poured it
out with the graceful nonchalant air of a charming hostess in her own
drawing-room, while Tiel talked of the weather and referred carelessly
to the lastest news just like any gentleman who might have called
casually upon her. I, on my part, tried as best I could to catch the
same air, and we all talked away very pleasantly indeed. We spoke
English, of course, all the time, and indeed, any one overhearing us
and not seeing my uniform would never have dreamt for a moment that we
were anything but three devoted subjects of King George.

On the other hand, we were surely proceeding on the assumption that
nobody was behind a curtain or listening at the keyhole, and that being
so, I could not help feeling that the elaborate pretence of being a
mere party of ordinary acquaintances was a little unnecessary. At last
I could not help saying something of what was in my mind.

"Is the war over?" I asked suddenly.

Both the others seemed surprised.

"I wish it were, Mr Belke!" said Miss Burnett with a sudden and moving
change to seriousness.

"Then if it is not, why are we pretending so religiously that we have
no business here but