faced death
together in the Great War.

And so I settled down in my usual large and patient spirit and just kept
friendly touch with Jenny's father and no more. Nor did Jenny say much
upon the future when she was home, and so, no doubt, Joshua got to hope
he'd have his way in the long run.

And then came Tom Bond upon the scene of action and the fearful affair of
the woodstack began to take shape. We wanted a new first footman, and he
offered, and his credentials looked so right that Sir Walter, in his
careless way, didn't bother about 'em, seeing by his photograph that Tom
was a good-looking man and hearing he stood six feet two inches. And
certainly, after his arrival, nobody thought no more of his character, for
a cleverer and more capable chap you couldn't wish to meet. He knew his
job from A to Z, and I will say here and now that, merely regarded as a
first footman, Tom was never beat in my experience. He had an art to
understand and anticipate my wishes and a skill to fall into my ways that
gave me very great satisfaction, and he pleased the gentlemen also and
shone in the servants' hall. In fact I seldom liked a young man better,
and what followed within six months of his arrival came as a fearful shock
upon me, because by that time I'd grown to feel uncommon friendly to the
wretch.

He was amazing good-looking, with curly hair and blue eyes and very fine
teeth. And he was one of those men that win the women by their nice
manners and careful choice of words. You never heard him speak anything
unbecoming, and he was just as civil to the humblest as he was to the
housekeeper herself. A care-free man seemingly, with his life before him
and such gifts that he might be expected to make a pretty good thing of
it. An orphan, too, or so he said.

Thirty-two he claimed to be, but I judged him to be a bit more in reality.

Then came the fatal cloud. Knowing that I was engaged to Jenny, he took
good care to keep the right side of her on my account, but all too soon
there dawned the making of the future tragedy and he was pleasuring her
for her own sake. He hid his games from me, of course, and it was an easy
thing to do, because I stood above any suspicion with regard to Jenny; but
a time came when he didn't hide his games from her, and it was only when I
began to see queer signs about her I couldn't read that any uneasiness
overgot me. I do think most honest that she didn't know what was happening
to her for a long t