man at the gate, who appeared to be on guard to prevent any one
from coming out or in. On our way to Bedsworth we met no less a
person than the great Mr. Girdlestone himself, and we actually
drove so clumsily that we splashed him all over with mud.
Wasn't that a very sad and unaccountable thing? I fancy I see Toby
smiling over that.

"Good-bye, my dear lad. Be as good as you can. I know you've got
rather out of the way of it, but practice works wonders.

"Ever yours,

"LAVINIA SCULLY."

It happened that on the morning on which this missive came to Kennedy
Place, Von Baumser had not gone to the City. The major had just
performed his toilet and was marching up and down with a cigarette in
his mouth and the _United Service Gazette_ in his hand, descanting
fluently, as is the habit of old soldiers, on the favouritism of the
Horse Guards and the deterioration of the service.

"Look at this fellow Carmoichael!" he cried excitedly, slapping the
paper with one, hand, while he crumpled it up with the other. "They've
made him lieutinant-gineral! The demndest booby in the regiment, sir!
A fellow who's seen no service and never heard a shot fired in anger.
They promoted him on the stringth of a sham fight, bedad! He commanded
a definding force operating along the Thames and opposing an invading
army that was advancing from Guildford. Did iver ye hear such infernal
nonsense in your life? And there's Stares, and Knight, and Underwood,
and a dozen more I could mintion, that have volunteered for everything
since the Sikh war of '46, all neglicted, sir--neglicted! The British
Army is going straight to the divil."

"Dat's a very bad look-out for the devil," said Von Baumser, filling up
a cup of coffee.

The major continued to stride angrily about the room. "That's why we
niver have a satisfactory campaign with a European foe," he broke out.
"Our success is always half and half, and leads to nothing. Yet we have
the finest raw material and the greatest individual fighting power and
divilment of any army in the world."

"Always, of course, not counting de army of his most graceworthy majesty
de Emperor William," said Von Baumser, with his mouth full of toast.
"Here is de girl mit a letter. Let us hope dat it is my Frankfort
money."

"Two to one it's for me."

"Ah, he must not bet!" cried Von Baumser, with upraised finger.
"You have right, though. It is for you, and