how much. Who knows what the world holds hidden? While
we live there is always a perhaps. Remember that I love you!"

"Perhaps," I mused absently.

"Perhaps what?" asked Pembroke.

"What?" I had forgotten him. "Oh, it was merely a slip of the
tongue." I poked the matting with my cane. "It is high noon; we had
best hunt up a lunch. I have an engagement with the American military
attache at two, so you will have to take care of yourself till dinner."

Let me tell you what happened in the military club that night. I was
waiting for Col. J---- of the Queen's Light, who was to give me the
plan of the fall maneuvers in Africa. Pembroke was in the billiard
room showing what he knew about caroms and brandy smashes to a trio of
tanned Indian campaigners. I was in the reading room perusing the
evening papers. All at once I became aware of a man standing before
me. He remained in that position so long that I glanced over the top
of my paper.

It was Prince Ernst of Wortumborg. He bowed.

"May I claim your attention for a moment?" he asked.

Had I been in any other place but the club I should have ignored him.
I possessed the liveliest hatred for the man.

"If you will be brief."

"As brief as possible," dropping into the nearest chair. "It has
become necessary to ask you a few questions. The matter concerns me."

"Whatever concerns you is nothing to me," I replied coldly.

He smiled. "Are you quite sure?"

I had turned the sword on myself, so it seemed. But I said: "I
answered some of your questions once; I believe I was explicit."

"As to that I can say you were; startlingly explicit. It is a delicate
matter to profess one's regard for a woman before total strangers. It
is not impossible that she would have done the same thing in your
place. Her regard for you--"

I interrupted him with a menacing gesture. "I am extremely irritable,"
I said. "I should regret to lose control of myself in a place like
this."

"To be sure!" he said. "This is England, where they knock one another
down."

"We do not murder on this side of the channel," I retorted.

"That is unkind. Your friend was a very good shot," with a significant
glance at his useless arm. "But for my arm, and his nerves, which were
not of the best order, I had not lived to speak to you to-night."

"So much the worse for the world," said I. "Your questions?"

"Ah! Who was that remarkably beautiful woman under your distinguished