ng what he believed the effects would be on the life of men
and nations. He showed an insight into the deeper movements of the
times, which revealed him as a thinker of no mean order, while his
idealism and his patriotism were contagious.

Whether he had a purpose in all this, I cannot say, but certain it is
he simply captivated the old baronet.

'Dash it, man!' cried Sir Thomas to me, just before I went to bed, 'the
fellow is a genius. I never dreamed of such a thing! With luck, he'll
make his mark. He--he might do anything. Upon my word, I am sorry
he's going to-morrow. I thought on Saturday he was nothing but a
teetotal fanatic, but the fellow is wonderful. He has a keen sense of
humour, too. I wonder who and what he really is. It is the most
remarkable case I ever heard of in my life.'

'For my own part,' I said, 'I almost dread his memory coming back.'

'Why?'

'There are times when a man's past had better be buried and forgotten.'

'On the other hand,' broke in Sir Thomas, 'it may be the beginning of a
new life to him. Perhaps he has a name, wealth, position.'

Lorna Bolivick, who was standing by, did not speak, but I could see
that her father's words influenced her. Perhaps she was thinking of
the mad confession which Edgecumbe had made that day.

The next day we returned to London.

CHAPTER XXV

'WHY IS VICTORY DELAYED?

'The war still drags on, Luscombe.'

'Yes, it still drags on,' and I looked up from the copy of _The Times_
which I had been reading. 'They seem to have had bad weather at the
front. From what I can judge, the Somme push is practically at an end
for this winter, unless better weather sets in.'

The train by which we travelled had just left Bristol, and would not stop
until we arrived in London.

'Of course,' I went on, 'it will be Haig's policy to keep the Germans
busy all the winter, but I don't imagine that much more advance will be
made before spring comes.'

'That will mean another winter in the trenches, with its ghastly toll of
suffering and sacrifice of human life.'

'I am afraid so,' I said, 'but then we are at war.'

'How long is this going to last?' and there was a note of impatience in
his voice.

'Until the Germans are brought to their knees,' I replied, 'and that will
be no easy matter. When a nation like Germany has spent forty years in
preparation for war, it isn't easily beaten. You see they were piling up
mountains of munitions, while