or her to find just the things she
wanted, that sent half-a-dozen acquaintances and friends in her way.

He took Nelly's hand in his. It was quite cold and clammy, although it
had come out of a satin-lined muff. The hand trembled.

"I heard you were going to-morrow," she said. "I'm so glad I am in time
to wish you _bon voyage_."

"Won't you sit down?"

He set a chair for her in front of the fire. The flames lit up her
golden hair, and revealed her charming face in its becoming setting of
the sables she wore. He sat in his obscure corner, watching her with
moody eyes. He said to himself that he would never see her again, yet he
laboured to make ordinary everyday talk. He asked after the General, and
regretted that the hurry of these latter days had prevented his calling
at Sherwood Square.

"We miss you at the head of the squadron," said Nelly, innocently. "It
isn't the same thing now that there is a stranger."

"Ah!" A flame leaped into his eyes. He leant forward a little. "That
reminds me I ought not to go without making a confession." He was taking
a pocket-book from his breastpocket. He opened it, and held it under
Nelly's eyes. There was a piece of blue ribbon there. She recognised it
with a great leap of her heart. It was her own ribbon which she had lost
that spring day as she stood on the balcony looking down at the
soldiers.

"You recognise it? It was yours. The wind blew it down close to my hand.
I caught it. I have kept it ever since. May I keep it still? It can do
no harm to anybody, my having it--may I keep it?"

She answered something under her breath, which he construed to be "Yes."
She had been feeling the cruelty of it all, that their last hour
together should be taken up by talking of commonplaces. At the sudden
change in his tone--although it was unhappy, there was passion in it,
and the chill seemed to pass away from her heart--the tears filled her
eyes, overflowed them, ran warmly down her cheeks.

At the sight of those tears the young man forgot everything, except that
she was lovely and he loved her and she was crying for him. He leaped to
her side and dropped on his knees. He put both his arms about her and
pressed her closely to him.

"Are you crying because I am going, my darling?" he said. "Good heavens!
don't cry--I'm not worth it. And yet I shall remember, when the world is
between us, that you cried because I was going, you angel of mercy."

An older woman than Nelly might have