nd broke the stillness. Three loud reports and then the
touf-touf, spatter-dash-spatter-dash of a motor bicycle.

Mary opened the gate, went through, shut it behind her and leant
against it, for her knees were as water.

The noise came on, it passed the house, turned into the back drive,
came round, and someone in overalls, covered with dust from head to
foot, swept into the deserted yard; saw Mary, pulled up short, and
pushed the bike against a wall.

This dusty person tore off his goggles. It was Captain Reginald Peel,
R.E., and he came across the yard towards her.

"Hullo, Mary," he said, "I told you I'd let you know whenever I heard.
The A.A.G.'s a brick, I'm going to India. Marching orders came last
night."

Mary's lips trembled and her voice died in her throat. Reggie took out
a large silk handkerchief and mopped his dusty face.

He came on towards her and took both her hands.

"Mary," he said, "can you leave all this? Can you face it? Will you
come with me and help me to build bridges and make roads and dig
drains. . . . Will you come so that we can have the rest of our
lives . . . together?"

They looked straight into one another's eyes.

"I will," said Mary, and she said it as solemnly as if she were
repeating a response in the Marriage Service.

Reggie loosed one of her hands. Again he polished his face.

"I should like awfully to kiss you," he said, "but I'm so fearfully
dusty--do you mind?"

"I think," said Mary, with a queer choky laugh, "that I'd rather like
it."

And just at that moment Willets appeared at a gate leading from the
garden. He didn't see them, and opened the gate, which squeaked
abominably, came through and let it shut with a clang, but they,
apparently, heard nothing.

Willets stood transfixed, for he saw the motor-bike and the dusty young
man in overalls, and clasped close in the arms of the said dusty young
man was Miss Mary!

Willets gave one quick glance, smote his hands softly together, and
turned right round with his back to them. He leaned on the gate and
gazed steadfastly into the distant garden. It was a squeaky gate, that
gate. If he opened it, it might disturb them, and bless you, they were
but young, and one is only young once.

So kindly Willets stared, with eyes that were not quite so keen as
usual, at the bit of garden he could see; and there, delphiniums were
blooming. The sun came out just at that moment, and they looked
particularly blue