of business, then. But they will
not love him as they do the Colonel."

Sir Arthur laughed. "I fancy James can dispense with their affection
if he secures their obedience. The Colonel desired his compliments to
you, my love, and begged that you would not consider his absence this
evening in any way a slight, since his principles demand it of him.
The furbelows all ready, eh?"

"Nearly. But, Arturo, I have been entertaining Mrs Jardine the greater
part of the morning."

"Some nice new piece of scandal, eh? What was the 'real duty' that
brought her out in the heat?"

"An earnest desire to promote peace. She thought it might be better if
Honour did not appear to-night. No, my Arturo,"--as Sir Arthur moved
explosively,--"it was a warning given out of pure kindness to me, a
foreigner. I told her what had happened, and she went away, I trust,
satisfied. She thought me cold, I fear, for I restrained both voice
and words."

"Better, much better. But that a woman of that kind should have it in
her power to---- That Honour should contrive to get herself talked
about!"

"She is so young, Arturo; she did not understand. And it was not all
her fault."

"Which means that it was her father's. Well, but how was I to know
that a daughter of yours and mine would turn out a fool? When she
overwhelms me with a cool proposal to set up schools and I don't know
what for the European women and children, what could I do but tell her
it was the chaplain's business? You won't say that I ought to have
encouraged her? Think of all the unpleasantness it would have caused
in the regiments! And surely it was only natural to turn aside the
matter by pointing out a sphere where her efforts would be more
acceptable? Why, if I had said such a thing to Charlotte, or Eliza, or
Marian, they would have blushed prettily and said, 'Oh, Papa!' and
Marian might have giggled, but would any of them ever have thought of
actually carrying it out?"

For this was the unfortunate result of Sir Arthur's ill-timed
jocularity in advising his daughter to turn her enthusiasm for humanity
to account in reforming some of Colonel Antony's assistants, instancing
Gerrard and Charteris as standing in special need of her services.
Young ladies were scarce, Honour was handsome and had inherited a touch
of her mother's dignity, and when she unbent and displayed a flattering
interest in the moral and spiritual welfare of each young man, the
mischief was