fit rather for home service than the front.

When they reached the Buckingham Palace end of the Walk, Mannering
paused.

'Where are you lunching?'

'At Brooks', with my father.'

'Oh, then I'll walk there with you.'

They struck across the park, and talk fell on a recent small
set-back which had happened to a regiment with which they were both
well acquainted.

Chicksands shrugged his shoulders.

'I've heard some details at the War Office. Just ten minutes' rot!
The Colonel stopped it with his revolver. Most of them splendid
fellows. Two young subs gave way under a terrific shelling and their
men with them. And in ten minutes they were all rushing forward
again, straight through the barrage--and the two lieutenants were
killed.'

'My God!--lucky fellows!' cried Mannering, under his breath, with a
passion and suddenness that struck astonishment into his companion.

'Well, yes,' said Arthur, 'in a sense--but--nothing would have
happened to them. They had wiped it out.'

Mannering shook his head. Then with a great and evident effort he
changed the conversation.

'You know Pamela's in town?'

'Yes, with Margaret Strang. I'm going to dine there to-night. How's
the new agent getting on?'

Aubrey smiled.

'Which?--the man--or the lady?'

'Miss Bremerton, of course. I got a most interesting letter from her
a fortnight ago. Do you know that she herself has discovered nearly
a thousand ash in the Squire's woods, after that old idiot Hull had
told her she wouldn't find half-a-dozen? A thousand ash is not to be
sneezed at in these days! I happen to know that the Air Board wrote
the Squire a very civil letter.'

'"All along of Eliza!"' mused Mannering. 'She's been away from
Mannering just lately. Her invalid mother became very seriously ill
about three weeks ago, and she had to go home for a time. My father,
of course, has been fussing and fuming to get her back.'

'Poor Squire! But how could Pamela be spared too?'

Mannering hesitated.

'Well, the fact is she and my father seem to have had a good
old-fashioned row. She tried to fill Miss Bremerton's place, and of
course it didn't answer. She's too young, and my father too
exacting. Then when it broke down, and he took things out of her
hands again, comparing her, of course, enormously to her
disadvantage with Miss Bremerton, Pamela lost her temper and said
foolish things of Miss Bremerton. Whereupon fury on my father's
part--and sudden departure on Pamel