r. What confession had been on Nur-el-Din's lips when she
had broken off that afternoon with the cry:

"Already I have said too much!"

Thereafter Desmond's eyes were never long absent from Mortimer's
face, scrutinizing each feature in turn, the eyes, set rather
close together, grotesquely shielded by the thick spectacles, the
narrow cheeks, the rather cynical mouth half hidden by the heavy,
drooping moustache, the broad forehead broken by a long lock of
dark hair brushed out flat in a downward direction from an
untidy, unkempt crop.

They talked no more of Strangwise or of Nur-el-Din. The rest of
dinner was passed in conversation of a general order in which Mr.
Mortimer showed himself to great advantage. He appeared to be a
widely traveled, well-read man, with a fund of dry, often rather
grim humor. And all the time Desmond watched, watched,
unobtrusively but unceasingly, looking out for something he was
confident of detecting through the suave, immobile mask of this
brilliant conversationalist.

Skillfully, almost imperceptibly, Desmond edged the talk on to
the war. In this domain, too, Mortimer showed himself a man of
broad views, of big, comprehensive ideas. Towards the strategy
and tactics of the two sides, he adopted the attitude of an
impartial onlooker, but in his comments he proved himself to have
a thorough grasp of the military situation. He talked freely and
ably of such things as tanks, the limited objective in the attack
and the decentralization of responsibility in the field.

Encouraged by his volubility, for he was a man who delighted in
conversation, Desmond gradually gave the talk a personal turn.
But willing as Mortimer showed himself to discuss the war
generally, about his personal share he was as mute as a fish. Try
as he would Desmond could get nothing out of him. Again and
again, he brought the conversation round to personal topics; but
every time his companion contrived to switch it back to general
lines.

At last Desmond risked a direct question. By this time a pint of
Pommery and Greno was tingling in his veins and he felt he didn't
care if the roof fell in.

"Ever since Nur-el-Din told me you were of the Crown Prince's
personal service," he said, "I have been devoured with curiosity
to know what you were doing before you came to England. Were you
at Metz with his Imperial Highness? Did you see the assault at
Verdun? Were you present at the capture of the Fort of
Douaumont?"

Mor