strong punch, sir, and you're a born natural fighter, sir,"
said he. "If you had a few lessons in boxing, sir, I'd put you against
the best."

But later, when the young men were resting, each under his sheet after
a rub-down, the true significance of the affair for Orde came out. Since
the fight, Gerald's customary lassitude of manner seemed quite to have
left him. His eye was bright, a colour mounted beneath the pale olive of
his skin, the almost effeminate beauty of his countenance had animated.
He looked across at Orde several times, hesitated, and at last decided
to speak.

"Look here, Orde," said he, "I want to confess something to you. When
you first came here three days ago, I had lots of fun with myself about
you. You know your clothes aren't quite the thing, and I thought your
manner was queer, and all that. I was a cad. I want to apologise. You're
a man, and I like you better than any fellow I've met for a long time.
And if there's any trouble--in the future--that is--oh, hang it, I'm on
your side--you know what I mean!"

Orde smiled slowly.

"Bishop," was his unexpected reply, "you're not near so much of a dandy
as you think you are."

XVIII

Affairs went thus for a week. Orde was much at the Bishop residence,
where he was cordially received by the general, where he gained an
occasional half-hour with Carroll, and where he was almost ignored by
Mrs. Bishop in her complete self-absorption. Indeed, it is to be doubted
whether he attained any real individuality to that lady, who looked on
all the world outside her family as useful or useless to the church.

In the course of the happy moments he had alone with Carroll, he
arrived at a more intimate plane of conversation with her. He came to an
understanding of her unquestioning acceptance of Mrs. Bishop's attitude.
Carroll truly believed that none but herself could perform for her
mother the various petty offices that lady demanded from her next of
kin, and that her practical slavery was due by every consideration of
filial affection. To Orde's occasional tentative suggestion that the
service was of a sort better suited to a paid companion or even a
housemaid, she answered quite seriously that it made mother nervous to
have others about her, and that it was better to do these things than to
throw her into a "spell." Orde chafed at first over seeing his precious
opportunities thus filched from him; later he fretted because he
perceived that Carrol