ithout excuse,
determinedly he set himself to regain his one-time attitude of mind
toward the girl. With little difficulty he recalled his sense of
superiority, his kindly pity, his desire to protect her crude simplicity
from those who might do her harm. With a vision of that Mandy before
him, the drudge of the farm, the butt of Perkins' jokes, the object of
pity for the neighbourhood, he could readily summon up all the feelings
he had at one time considered it the correct and rather fine thing to
cherish for her. But for this young nurse, so thoroughly furnished and
fit, and so obviously able to care for herself, these feelings would not
come. Indeed, it made him squirm to remember how in his farewell in the
orchard he had held her hand in gentle pity for her foolish and all
too evident infatuation for his exalted and superior self. His groan of
self-disgust he hastily merged into a cough, for the Sergeant had his
eyes upon him. Indeed, the Sergeant did not help his state of mind, for
he persisted in executing a continuous fugue of ecstatic praise of Nurse
Haley in various keys and tempos, her pluck, her cleverness, her skill,
her patience, her jolly laugh, her voice, her eyes. To her eyes the
Sergeant ever kept harking back as to the main motif of his fugue, till
Cameron would have dearly loved to chuck him and his fugue out of doors.

He was saved from deeds of desperate violence by a voice at the door.

"Letta fo' Mis Camelon!"

"Hello, Cameron!" exclaimed the Sergeant, handing him the note. "You're
in luck." There was no mistaking the jealousy in the Sergeant's voice.

"Oh, hang it!" said Cameron as he read the note.

"What's up?"

"Tea!"

"Who?" enquired the Sergeant eagerly.

"Me. I say, you go in my place."

The Sergeant swore at him frankly and earnestly.

"All right John," said Cameron rather ungraciously.

"You come?" enquired the Chinaman.

"Yes, I'll come."

"All lite!" said John, turning away with his message.

"Confound the thing!" growled Cameron.

"Oh come, you needn't put up any bluff with me, you know," said the
Sergeant.

But Cameron made no reply. He felt he was not ready for the interview
before him. He was distinctly conscious of a feeling of nervous
embarrassment, which to a man of experience is disconcerting and
annoying. He could not make up his mind as to the attitude which it
would be wise and proper for him to assume toward--ah--Nurse Haley. Why
not resume relations at t