te two months taken up with your affairs, Singh--
Dour business, you know--and I shall be very glad when you are old
enough to take the reins in your hand and drive yourself."

"But, guardian--" began Singh, who was breathing more freely, the warm
pressure of the Colonel's hand having thrilled him through and through.

"Oh yes, I know, my boy; I didn't mean that. I am not going to be
pensioned off. I am going to be a sort of House of Lords to you two
commoners, and you will come and refer all big matters to me. Let's
see, what was I saying? Oh, I've been busy two months over the Dour
affairs. Got them pretty straight, and I was going up into Scotland for
a month's rest. I meant to write from there if you had been doing your
sums a little better, Glyn, and if you, Singh, had improved a bit in
your spelling, for the way in which you break your shins over the big
words in your letters is rather startling."

"Oh, guardian, aren't you rather too hard?" said the boy appealingly.
"But you weren't only going to write to the Doctor about that?"

"Humph! No. I had some idea about salmon-fishing when the season comes
on."

"Oh, fishing!" cried the boys in a breath.

"Yes," said the Colonel. "It won't be like getting up in the hills
amongst the mahseer. Bah! Here am I running away about fishing! I
caught a forty-pounder last time I tried, and a big fight too. But the
Doctor wanted me to come out here about this wretched belt business, and
I have had to leave my club and put off my journey to come down and see
about this.--It's a bad business, Glyn. I am afraid you have not been
so sharp as you should have been."

"I have tried my best, father."

"I suppose so; but the best's bad."

"Don't be hard on him, guardian," said Singh, laying his hand
affectionately on the Colonel's shoulder. "It was all my fault, and I
know better now."

"Know better? What do you mean by that, sir?"

"Well, sir," said Singh hesitatingly, "I know it was weak and foolish of
me to want to have a showy thing like that to wear; but I was not so
English then as I am now."

"Showy thing like that, eh?" said the Colonel. "Ahem! Well, I don't
know that you need excuse yourself about that. It's rather natural. A
soldier likes showy regimentals. I was always proud of my uniform,
boys. No, I am not going to fall foul of you about that, Singh, so long
as you didn't make a goose of yourself with it. But when you had such a
showy thi