he deuce he does! Slew him round and show his face."

"Oh, Nandy, Nandy!"--this was Miss Sophia's voice--"Have you really been
and gone and enlisted!"

"No, miss, I ha'n't,"--by this time Nandy was blubbering for very fright.
He tore himself loose and fell at Miss Sophia's feet. "But I was takin' a
bath, miss--for my skin's sake, as advised by you--and a sojer came and
took my clothes by main force,"--here Nandy sobbed aloud--"I--I think,
miss, he must ha' meant to desert!"

"Hey!" One of the officers took him again by the collar. "What's that
you're saying? A deserter . . . left you these clothes and bolted? . . .
Oh, stop your whining and answer! When? Where?"

Nandy checked his tears--but not his sobs--and pointed. "Down by the
foreshore, sir . . . not a quarter of an hour since . . . he took the way
up the Lynher, towards St. Germans . . ."

"Here, Appleshaw, this is serious! Trehane, Drury--you'll help us?
A man of ours, deserted. . . . You'll excuse us, ladies--we'll bring the
fellow back to you if we catch him. Show us the way, youngster--down by
the creek, did you say? Tallyho, boys! One and all! Yoicks forra'd!
Go-one away!"--and, dragging Nandy with them, the pack pelted out of the
garden.

VIII.

Now you understand how it was that Dr. Clatworthy and Miss St. Maur,
entering the garden ten minutes later, saw but a bevy of disconsolate
maidens strolling the paths, and no uniform nor sign of one.

"There!" said Miss St. Maur, pointing with her parasol. "There, sir! What
did I tell you?"

Dr. Clatworthy stared about him and mopped the crown of his head.
"But when I assure you, madam--"

"Oh, cruel, cruel!" Miss St. Maur burst into tears.

"Madam!" Dr. Clatworthy looked about him again. The young ladies had
turned and were withdrawing slowly to the far end of the walk. By this
time, you must know, the light had fallen dim, but with the moon rising
and the sun not gone altogether. "Madam! Dear madam!" said Dr.
Clatworthy, and was pressing her, polite as a lamb, towards the nearest
arbour to seat her there and persuade her. But before he could pilot her
past the laylock-bush, forth from that very arbour stepped a couple,
and from the next arbour another couple, and both couples took the garden
path, and in each couple the heads were closer together than necessary for
ordinary talk, and the eyes of them seemingly too well occupied to notice
the doctor and Miss St. Maur by the laylock