clearly showed in her manner that she intended holding
converse with the policeman, there was nothing for Gaviller _et al._ to
do but proceed, which they did with none too good a grace. This left
Stonor and the girl walking together in the middle of the procession.
Stinson and Mathews, who were supposed to be out of it anyway, winked at
each other portentously.

"I wanted to ask you about that horse you rode yesterday, a beautiful
animal. What do you call him?"

"Miles Aroon," said Stonor, like a wooden man. He dreaded that she meant
to go on and enlarge on his riding tricks. In his modesty he now
regarded that he had made an awful ass of himself the day before. But
she stuck to horse-flesh.

"He's a beauty! Would he let me ride him?"

"Oh, yes! He has no bad tricks. I broke him myself. But of course he
knows nothing of side-saddles."

"I ride astride."

"I believe we're all going for a twilight ride to-night. I'll bring him
for you."

As a result of this Stonor's praiseworthy resolutions to keep out of
harm's way were much weakened. Indeed, late that night in his little
room in quarters he gave himself up to the most outrageous dreams of a
possible future happiness. Stonor was quite unversed in the ways of
modern ladies; all his information on the subject had been gleaned from
romances, which, as everybody knows, are always behind the times in such
matters, and it is possible that he banked too much on the simple fact
of her singling him out on the walk home.

There was a great obstacle in his way; the force sets its face against
matrimony during the term of service. Stonor in his single-mindedness
never thought that there were other careers. "I shall have to get a
commission," he thought. "An inspectorship is little enough to offer
her. But what an ornament she'd be to a post! And she'd love the life;
she loves horses. But Lord! it's difficult nowadays, with nothing going
on. If an Indian war would only break out!"--He was quite ready to
sacrifice the unfortunate red race.

On Monday night he was again bidden to dine at Enterprise House. As
Gaviller since the day before had been no more than decently polite,
Stonor ventured to hope that the invitation might have been instigated
by her. At any rate he was placed by her side this time, where he sat a
little dizzy with happiness, and totally oblivious to food. At the same
time it should be understood that the young lady had no veiled glances
or hidden meanin