"Not a bit of it," returned Hyde. "It's one thing at a time with me
always. Besides, why should I bore you to that extent? Why, I'm boring
you already. Isn't that so?"

He set his hands on the arms of his chair preparatory to rising, as he
spoke; and Hope took a quick step away from him. There was a look in his
eyes that was horrible to her.

"No," she said, rather breathlessly. "No; I'm not at all bored. Please
don't get up; I'll go and order some refreshment."

"Nonsense!" he said sharply. "I don't want it. I won't have any! I
mean"--his manner softening abruptly---"not unless you will join me;
which, I fear, is too much to expect. Now don't go away! Come and sit
here!" drawing close to his own the chair on which she had been leaning.
"I want to tell you something. Don't look so scared! It's something
you'll like; it is, really. And you're bound to hear it sooner or later,
so it may as well be now. Why not?"

But Hope's nerves were stretched to snapping point, and she shrank
visibly. After all, she was very young, and there was that about this
man that terrified her.

"No," she said hurriedly. "No; I would rather not. There is nothing you
could tell me that I should like to hear. I--I am going to the gate to
look for Ronnie."

It was childish, it was pitiable; and had the man been other than a
coward it must have moved him to compassion. As it was he sprang up
suddenly, as though to detain her, and Hope's last shred of self-control
deserted her.

She uttered a smothered cry and fled.

III

THE FRIEND IN NEED

The road that led to the cantonments was ill-made and stony, but she
dashed along it like a mad creature, unconscious of everything save the
one absorbing desire to escape. Ronnie was not in sight, but she
scarcely thought of him. The light was failing fast, and she knew that
it would soon be quite dark, save for a white streak of moon overhead.
It was still frightfully hot. The atmosphere oppressed her like a leaden
weight. It seemed to keep her back, and she battled with it as with
something tangible. Her feet were clad in thin slippers, and at any
other time she would have known that the rough stones cut and hurt her.
But in the terror of the moment she felt no pain. She only had the sense
to run straight on, with gasping breath and failing limbs, till at last,
quite suddenly, her strength gave out and she sank, an exhausted,
sobbing heap, upon the roadway.

There came the tread of a h