tle, sent
it drifting down like a little blue flower among the men on horseback.

It was such a slight thing that the General might not have noticed it.
Anyhow, he made no comment, but watched the troops out of sight as
usual. The odd thing was that Nelly passed over her loss in silence,
although she must have missed her blue ribbon, since without it her hair
had become loose in the wind.

At breakfast, when the servants had left the room, the General made a
remark.

"That young Langrishe sits his horse well," he said. "He's a good
soldier, Nelly, my girl. A very good soldier, or I'm much mistaken."

But Nelly was apparently too absorbed in her duty of making the tea to
answer the remark. For an instant she was redder than a rose. No one
would have suspected Sir Denis of slyness, but the look he shot at the
girl was certainly sly. Under the white tablecloth he rubbed his hands
softly together.

CHAPTER VII

A CHANCE MEETING

It was worse for the General when Sir Robin Drummond left Oxford and
settled in London, with an avowed intention of reading for the Bar, and
at the same time making politics his real career.

"A man ought to do something in the world," he said to his irate uncle.
"The Bar is always a stepping-stone. I confess I don't look to practice
very much; my real bent is for politics. But the law interests me, and
it is always a stepping-stone."

"I should have thought that the profession of arms, which your father
and your grandfather adorned, as well as a good many of your forbears,
might serve you as well," Sir Denis said, hotly.

"You leave out my uncle, sir," the young man replied, with urbane good
humour. "Yes, the Drummonds have done very well for the profession of
arms. Still, with my beliefs on the subject of war----"

"Pray don't air them, don't air them. You know what I think about them.
Your father's son ought to be ashamed of professing such sentiments."

"One must abide by one's sentiments, one's convictions, if one is to be
good for anything. Uncle Denis," Sir Robin said, patiently.

"You'll have no chance in politics. No constituency will return you.
What we want now is a strong Government that will strengthen us, through
our Army and Navy, sir, against our enemies. Such a Government will come
in at the next election a-top of the wave. The people, or I am much
mistaken, are not going to see the bulwarks of our power tampered with.
The country is all for war. Where do you