at the
Convalescent Hospital?"

Her eyes were full of tears. "You make too much of my poor efforts. You
underestimate the effect of praise from you."

"I said very little in the last cipher despatch that got through to
Colonel Rickson at Malamye, but what I did say was very much to the
purpose, believe me."

She gasped, staring at him with circular eyes of incredulity. "You've
mentioned--me--in your despatches. ME?"

"Just so!" he said, and left her groping for the ridiculous little
gossamer handkerchief to dry the tears of pride and gratitude that were
tumbling down her cheeks.

XLI

"Clang--clang--clang!"

A man and a girl came back out of Paradise when the Catholic church-bell
rang the Angelus. The girl's sweet flushed face had paled at the first
three strokes. When the second triple clanged out, her colour came back.
She rose from her seat upon a lichened slab of granite in the cool shadow
of the great boulder, and bent her lovely head, Beauvayse watching her
lips as they moved, soundlessly repeating the Angelic Salutation:

"_Ave Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum! Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et
benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus._"

The wonderful simplicity of the Chosen One's reply followed, and the
announcement of the Unspeakable Mystery. The little prayer followed, and
the rapid signing with the Cross, and she dropped her slight hand from her
bosom, and turned her eyes back upon his.

"You remind me of my mother," he told her. "She is Catholic, you know."

"And not you?"

"We fellows, my brothers Levestre and Daltham and myself, were brought up
as pillars of the Established Church." His sleepy, grey-green eyes
twinkled, his white teeth showed in the laugh. "The girls are of my
mother's faith. It was a family agreement. Are you quite sure you have
come down to earth again? Because there's such an awful lot I want to say
to you that I don't know where to begin."

Though his mouth laughed, his eyes had wistful shadows under them. He had
tossed aside his Service felt when she had taken off her hat, and the
sunshine, piercing the thick foliage overhead, dappled the scaly trunks of
the blue-gum trees, and dripped gold upon the red-brown head and the
crisp-waved golden one.

"I am here. I am listening."

She stood before him with meekly drooping eyelids, feeling his ardent gaze
like a palpable weight, under which her knees trembled and her whole body
swayed. The great boulder rose upon h