"I shouldn't," said Monck.

Tommy checked abruptly, looking at him oddly, uncertainly. "How do you
know what I was going to say?" he demanded.

"I don't," said Monck.

"I believe you do," said Tommy, unconvinced.

Monck blew forth a cloud of smoke and laughed in his brief, rather
grudging way. "You're getting quite clever for a child of your age," he
observed. "But don't overdo it, my son! Don't get precocious!"

Tommy's hand grasped his arm confidentially. "Monck, if I don't speak
out to someone, I shall bust! Surely you don't mind my speaking out to
you!"

"Not if there's anything to be gained by it," said Monck.

He ignored the friendly, persuasive hand on his arm, but yet in some
fashion Tommy knew that it was not unwelcome. He kept it there as he
made reply.

"There isn't. Only, you know, old chap, it does a fellow good to
unburden himself. And I'm bothered to death about this business."

"A bit late in the day, isn't it?" suggested Monck.

"Oh yes, I know; too late to do anything. But," Tommy spoke with force,
"the nearer it gets, the worse I feel. I'm downright sick about it, and
that's the truth. How would you feel, I wonder, if you knew your one and
only sister was going to marry a rotter? Would you be satisfied to let
things drift?"

Monck was silent for a space. They walked on over the dusty road with
the free swing of the conquering race. One or two 'rickshaws met them as
they went, and a woman's voice called a greeting; but though they both
responded, it scarcely served as a diversion. The silence between them
remained.

Monck spoke at last, briefly, with grim restraint. "That's rather a
sweeping assertion of yours. I shouldn't repeat it if I were you."

"It's true all the same," maintained Tommy. "You know it's true."

"I know nothing," said Monck. "I've nothing whatever against Dacre."

"You've nothing in favour of him anyway," growled Tommy.

"Nothing particular; but I presume your sister has." There was just a
hint of irony in the quiet rejoinder.

Tommy winced. "Stella! Great Scott, no! She doesn't care the toss of a
halfpenny for him. I know that now. She only accepted him because she
found herself in such a beastly anomalous position, with all the
spiteful cats of the regiment arrayed against her, treating her like a
pariah."

"Did she tell you so?" There was no irony in Monck's tone this time. It
fell short and stern.

Again Tommy glanced at him as one uncertain. "Not likely,