is feet, the dark
blood rushing to his forehead. The ivory-pale, mutely-suffering face
against the background of whitewashed wall flashed back upon his memory,
in a circle of dazzling light. He saw her again, leaning against the door
of the chapel as he told her the cruel news. He heard her saying:

"Are you at liberty to tell me the date of Captain Mildare's death? For I
know--one who was also his friend--and would take an interest in the
particulars."

The particulars! And he had bludgeoned the woman with them--stabbed her to
the heart, poor soul, unknowing....

He was blameless, but he could not forgive himself.... He drove his teeth
down savagely into his lower lip, and muttered an excuse, and went away
abruptly, leaving Lady Hannah staring. He took leave soon after, and went
to his own quarters with the D.A.A.G., while her ladyship, with infinite
relief, getting rid of her feminine guests, repaired with Captain Bingham
Wrynche, familiarly known to a wide circle of friends as "Bingo," and
several chosen spirits to the billiard-room, for snooker-pool, and
whisky-and-soda.

"The grey wolf is on the prowl to-night," said one of the chosen spirits,
as he chalked Lady Hannah's cue with fastidious care. He winked across the
table at Bingo, sunset-red with dinner, champagne, and stroke-play.

"S'st!" sibilated the Captain warningly, winking in the direction of his
wife. Lady Hannah, her little thumb cocked in the air, her round, birdlike
eyes scientifically calculating angles, paused before making a rapid
stroke, to say:

"Don't be cheaply mysterious, my dear man. Of course, the Colonel visits
the defences and outposts and so forth regularly after dark. It's part of
the routine, surely?"

"Of course. But you don't suppose he goes alone, do you, old lady?"
queried Captain Bingo.

"I suppose he takes his A.D.C.?"

"Not to mention a detachment of the B.S.A. Also a squad of the Town Guard
in red neckties, solar topees and bandoliers; with the Rifles' Band, and D
Squadron of the Baraland Irregular Horse. Isn't that the routine,
Beauvayse? You're more up in these things than me, and I fancy there was a
change in the order for the evenin'."

"Rather!" assented Beauvayse, continuing, to the rapture of winking Bingo.
"On reaching the earthworks where our obsoletes are mounted, the townies
will now fire a salute of blank, without falling down; and the Band have
instructions to play 'There's Death in the Old Guns Yet.' Th