n, "you've come to tell us something.
What is it?"

"Oh!" I replied, as lightly as I could, "it is simply that we are in
for a row with Germany, and I've got a part in the play, so to speak.
I'm enlisting."

"Good boy," he chuckled, "good boy! Applying for a commission, I
suppose--man of your class and education, and all that--eh?"

"Oh, heavens, no!" I laughed. "I shall just walk on with the crowd, to
continue the simile."

"Glad to hear it, my boy--I am, indeed. 'Pon my soul, you're a good
lad, you know--quite a good lad. Your father would have been proud of
you. He was a splendid fellow--a thundering splendid fellow. We always
used to say, 'You can always trust Ewart to do the straight, clean
thing; he's a gentleman.' I hope your comrades will say the same of
you, my boy."

"By the way, sir," I added, "I also intended to tell you that in the
circumstances I--I----Well, I mean to say that I shan't--shan't
expect Myra to consider herself under--under any obligations to me."

However difficult it was for me to say it, I had been quite certain
that the old General would think it was the right thing to say, and
would be genuinely grateful to me for saying it off my own bat without
any prompting from him. So I was quite unprepared for the outburst
that followed.

"You silly young fellow!" he cried. "'Pon my soul, you are a silly
young chap, you know. D'you mean to tell me you came here intending
to tell my little girl to forget all about you just when you are
going off to fight for your country, and may never come back? You mean
to run away and leave her alone with an old crock of a father? You
know, Ewart, you--you make me angry at times."

"I'm very sorry, sir," I apologised, though I had no recollection of
having made him angry before.

"Oh! I know," he said, in a calmer tone. "Felt it was your duty, and
all that--eh? I know. But, you see, it's not your duty at all. No.
Now, there are one or two things I want to tell you that you don't
know, and I'll tell you one of 'em now and the rest later. The first
thing--in absolute confidence, of course--is that----"

But at this point Myra walked in, and the General broke off into an
incoherent mutter. He was a poor diplomatist.

"Ah! secrets? Naughty!" she exclaimed laughingly. "Are you ready,
Ronnie?"

"He's quite ready, my dear," said the old man graciously. "I've said
all I want to say to him for the time being. Run along with girlie,
Ewart. You don't want t