e said, without relaxing
the fixity of his face; "ladies are more in Stanley's line."

"The Kid must be awfully pleased," Ailsa said, smiling. "I'm sure he
isn't going away."

Carew, lying back in a big chair, was leisurely lighting his pipe, and
he did not reply. All his attitude showed only cold indifference, and
it would have been difficult to believe that, even in his heart, he
had taken the trouble to be resentful. Ailsa, watching, felt a little
impatient with him. She wanted to break through the shell in which he
chose to hide that self which her instinct told her was so different
to his outward seeming. What had become of the gay Londoner, who drove
the smartest four-in-hand in the park, and rode the fastest horse to
hounds? She longed to write home and ask her people of his story, but
bitter things had been said when she elected to go into exile with her
husband, and there had been almost no correspondence since. And Billy
had been away in South Africa at the time of the crash and heard
nothing about it. All he could tell her was that Carew of the Blues
had been known as one of the gayest of the gay fifteen years or so
ago, and that suddenly he had seemed to vanish off the face of the
earth; and that Carew of the B.S.A.P. was the same man, only
different, and he must be over forty years of age. So she had to
content herself as well as she could, and be glad that, at any rate,
while he remained in the Victoria district, they could have his
companionship, though he chose to keep his own counsel as to why he
was there.

At first she had been rather afraid of him, and felt shy and awkward
when he came to see them; but Billy's attitude of jovial good
fellowship, in no way repulsed by the other's cold reserve, had helped
to reassure her, and now they both appeared unconscious of any lack of
warmth in their visitor. If he liked to be silent he could, and if he
seemed in a taciturn mood they took no notice.

When he called for his horse to return he said good-bye to her before
mounting, and spoke of not coming again for a fortnight, and she
watched him ride away regretfully. Evidently he did not mean to be
sociable, even to the lady travellers, and it was no use hoping
anything for him.

In the meantime, the first ambulance, containing Meryl and Diana,
arrived at the ruins. Mr. Pym was detained in Edwardstown with his
engineer, and might not join them until the next day, but the girls
begged him to let them go on