There were only four persons in the carriage. In the opposite corner
there were two old persons, probably a husband and wife, who had been
very careful as to a foot-warming apparatus, and were muffled up very
closely in woollen and furs. "If you don't mind shutting the door,
Sir," said the old gentleman, rather testily, "because my wife has a
pain in her face." The door absolutely was shut when the words were
spoken, but the Colonel made some sign of closing all the apertures.
But there was a ventilator above, which the old lady spied. "If you
don't mind shutting that hole up there, Sir, because my husband is
very bad with neuralgia." The Colonel at once got up and found that
the ventilator was fast closed, so as not to admit a breath of air.
"There are draughts come in everywhere," said the old gentleman. "The
Company ought to be prosecuted." "I believe the more people they kill
the better they like it," said the old lady. Then the Colonel looked
at Ayala with a very grave face, with no hint at a smile, with a face
which must have gratified even the old lady and gentleman. But Ayala
understood the face, and could not refrain from a little laugh. She
laughed only with her eyes,--but the Colonel saw it.

"The weather has been very severe all day," said the Colonel, in a
severe voice.

Ayala protested that she had not found it cold at all. "Then, Miss, I
think you must be made of granite," said the old lady. "I hope you'll
remember that other people are not so fortunate." Ayala again smiled,
and the Colonel made another effort as though to prevent any possible
breath of air from making its way into the interior of the vehicle.

There was silence among them for some minutes, and then Ayala was
quite surprised by the tone in which her friend addressed her. "What
an ill-natured girl you must be," said he, "to have put me to such a
terrible amount of trouble all on purpose."

"I didn't," said Ayala.

"Yes, you did. Why wouldn't you come down by the four o'clock train
as I told you? Now I've left everything undone, and I shouldn't
wonder if I get into such a row at the Horse Guards that I shall
never hear the end of it. And now you are not a bit grateful."

"Yes, I am grateful; but I didn't want you to come at all," she said.

"Of course I should come. I didn't think you were so perverse."

"I'm not perverse, Colonel Stubbs."

"When young persons are perverse, it is my opinion they oughtn't to
be encouraged," said t