ents
his compliments to Mrs. Bridget O'Garrity, nee Flannagan, and wishes her
to request Mr. Jakes, in the culinary regions, to draw his bath and lay
out his things and generally make himself a nuisance. He will not permit
Mrs. O'Garrity to dress him."

"Oh, now, Captain Leeds--well then, Leonard dearie, you bad boy," wailed
the old woman reproachfully. "Mr. Jakes has gone to the war, as has
likewise all the men in the house, and a good riddance it is, too. There
was a time when you weren't too grand to let your poor old Nannie wait
on you. Why, Miss Marjorie, I remember the time when he couldn't--"

"No reminiscences!" broke in Leonard, eyeing Nannie suspiciously. "You
have had so much experience with men you ought to know how they hate it.
Why, Marjorie, do you realize that Nannie has had five husbands?"

"Oh, Master Leonard, indade, it is only three!" cried Nannie, horrified.

"Seven," Leonard insisted; "it's a compliment. It only shows how
fascinating you are with the polygamous sex. It was seven, only two
never showed up after the wedding. I was to be the eighth, Marjie, only
you came in between us."

"Master Leonard, I could smack you for talking like that! Don't listen
to 'im, Miss Marjorie."

"Cheer up, old Nannie," continued Leonard; "there's still Kitchener.
He's a bachelor and a woman-hater, but then, he's never met you, and
he's even a greater hero than I am."

Nannie, aghast but delighted, advanced toward Leonard, shaking her gray
curls. "H'm, h'm. Woman-haters, you say. I never met one, indade." Then,
very coaxingly, "Didn't you bring your old Nannie a souvenir from the
war?"

"Rather," said Leonard, indicating with his chin the rent on his
shoulder. "How about this?"

"How about that?" said Nannie, her old eyes in their deep furrows
gleaming with malice.

From behind her broad back she drew forth a round metal object that
flashed in the firelight.

"It's a German helmet!" cried Marjorie.

"I want it!" shouted Herbert, stretching up his arms for the flashing
plaything.

"It's mine," coaxed Marjorie, trying to wrest it from Nannie.

Leonard put out a swift hand, and held it aloft by the spike.

"Let me try it on," wheedled Marjorie, coaxing down his arm.

"You look like a baby Valkyrie," said Leonard, placing the helmet on her
head; but he frowned.

Marjorie regarded herself in the mirror.

"This belonged to an officer of the Prussian guard," she said.

"It did. How did you know?"