rning, Miss Linton. I hope you'll forgive me for being so
lazy as to stay in bed for breakfast. You'll have to blame your
butler: he simply didn't call me. The first thing I knew was an
enormous tray with enough breakfast for six men--and Allenby grinning
behind it."

"You stay in bed to breakfast here, or get up, just as you feel
inclined," Norah said. "There aren't any rules except two."

"Isn't that a bit Irish?"

"Not exactly, because Jim says even those two may be broken. But I
don't agree to that--at least, not for Rule 2."

"Do tell me them," he begged.

"Rule 1 is, 'Bed at ten o'clock.' That's the one that may be broken
when necessary. Rule 2 is, 'Please do just what you feel like doing.'
That's the one I won't have broken--unless any one wants to do things
that aren't good for them. Then I shall remember that they are
patients, and become severe."

"But I'm not a patient."

"No--but you're tired. You've got to get quite fit. What would you
like to do? Would you care to come for a ride?"

Hardress flushed darkly.

"Afraid I can't ride."

"Oh--I'm sorry," said Norah, looking at him in astonishment. This
lean, active-looking fellow with the nervous hands certainly looked as
though he should be able to ride. Indeed, there were no men in
Norah's world who could not. But, perhaps----

"What about a walk, then?" she inquired. "Do you feel up to it?"

Again Hardress flushed.

"I thought your brother would have explained," he said heavily. "I
can't do anything much, Miss Linton. You see, I've only one leg."

Norah's grey eyes were wide with distress.

"I didn't know," she faltered. "The telephone was out of order--Jim
couldn't explain. I'm so terribly sorry--you must have thought me
stupid."

"Not a bit--after all, it's rather a compliment to the shop-made
article. I was afraid it was evident enough."

"Indeed it isn't," Norah assured him. "I knew you limped a
little--but it wasn't very noticeable."

"It's supposed to be a special one," Hardress said. "I'm hardly used
to it yet, though, and it feels awkward enough. They've been
experimenting with it for some time, and now I'm a sort of trial case
for that brand of leg. The maker swears I'll be able to dance with
it: he's a hopeful soul. I'm not."

"You ought to try to be," Norah said. "And it really must be a very
good one." She felt a kind of horror at talking of it in this
cold-blooded fashion.

"I think most of t