Colt and was covered in a single report. Thus ended an ambitious
career.

Richard had suffered rather heavily under the generosity of his father
whose cherished wish was that his son should be a gentleman and nothing
more. Accordingly Richard had been sent to Eton, Oxford, and round the
world three times. He had been given a racing stable, an enormous
allowance and was instructed to spend as much as he could and enjoy
himself all he knew how. Being a high spirited and obliging young
fellow, Richard did all these things very engagingly, and somehow
contrived not to spoil himself. He emerged from the war with a
Military Cross, a row of service medals, a brace of foreign decorations
and an ambition to do some work. His father appeared to applaud the
ambition but actually discouraged it with specious argument and an
introduction to Doreen--who did the rest.

Doreen, of course, was a perfect darling. She always bit her lower lip
and she held her arms tight to her sides like a child who has been
naughty. There was no possible excuse to refrain from hugging Doreen.
One just had to and damn the consequences. Doreen would cry after
being kissed and would continue crying until again kissed into an even
frame of mind. Lots of people kissed Doreen because they could not
help themselves and she forgave them all on that account. There never
was such a darling. Richard Frencham Altar, fresh from the wars,
simply wanted to eat her and, seeing that he was a handsome young
fellow with a pleasant aura of gold about him, Doreen arrayed herself
in her most eatable frocks and devourable smiles and just let him.

"Oh, Dicks," she cried, soon after their engagement--'Dicks' being the
name she called him, for Doreens all the world over adore plurals and
attaching 'S's' to names because it makes them so snakey--"Oh, Dicks,
there's only one teeny-weeny thing I wish."

"What's that?" he said.

"I wish you were as poor as poor as poor so I could just love you for
nothing but yourself."

It was very pleasant hearing, but when a year later he went to her and
confided that he was as 'poor as poor as poor' it transpired she had
only said it for something to say and infinitely preferred young men
who were as rich as rich as rich.

Discoveries like that are a little apt to revolutionise a man's ideals
even if they fail to destroy them altogether.

Richard kept his views to himself. He kissed the tearful Doreen for
the last time a