rise. "Thank you ever so much!"

Peter hurried on to his place. It was round the corner of the wood, and
for the moment out of sight of the rest of the party. He tore a sheet
from his pocket-book and scribbled out a telegram. His man had
disappeared and a substitute taken his place by the time the Count von
Hern arrived. The latter was now all amiability. It was hard to believe,
from his smiling salutation, that he and the man to whom he waved his
hand in so airy a fashion had ever declared war to the death!

The shooting began a few minutes later. Major Kosuth, from a camp stool
a few yards behind his friend, watched with somewhat languid interest.
He gave one, indeed, the impression that his thoughts were far removed
from this simple country party, the main object of whose existence for
the present seemed to be the slaying of a certain number of inoffensive
birds. He watched the indifferent performance of his friend and the
remarkably fine shooting of his neighbour on the left, with the same
lack-lustre eye and want of enthusiasm. The beat was scarcely over
before Peter, resigning his smoking guns to his loader, lit a cigarette
and strolled across to the next stand. He plunged at once into a
conversation with Kosuth, notwithstanding Bernadine's ill-concealed
annoyance.

"Major Kosuth," he began, "I sympathise with you. It is a hard task for
a man whose mind is centred upon great events to sit still and watch a
performance of this sort. Be kind to us all and remember that this
represents to us merely a few hours of relaxation. We, too, have our
more serious moments."

"You read my thoughts well," Major Kosuth declared. "I do not seek to
excuse them. For half a lifetime we Turks have toiled and striven,
always in danger of our lives, to help forward those things which have
now come to pass. I think that our lives have become tinged with
sombreness and apprehension. Now that the first step is achieved, we go
forward, still with trepidation. We need friends, Baron de Grost."

"You cannot seriously doubt but that you will find them in this
country," Peter remarked. "There has never been a time when the English
nation has not sympathised with the cause of liberty."

"It is not the hearts of your people," Major Kosuth said, "which I fear.
It is the antics of your politicians. Sympathy is a great thing, and
good to have, but Turkey to-day needs more. The heart of a nation is
big, but the number of those in whose hands i