think nonsense! Good-night, Mr Tiel, and perhaps it's good-bye."

She laughed as she gave him his _nom-de-guerre_, and held out her hand
as frankly as she had spoken. He did not take it, however.

"I'm going to escort you over to Mrs Brown's," he said with a very
different expression now in his eyes.

"It's very good of you," she said; "you are sure you have time?"

"Loads!" he assured her.

He opened the door for her, but she stopped on the threshold. A young
woman was waiting in the hall.

"Mrs Brown has sent her girl to escort me," she said, "so we'll have
to"--she corrected herself--"we must say good-night now. Is it
good-bye, or shall I see you in the morning?"

His face had become very long again.

"I'm very much afraid not. I've got to report myself with the lark.
Good-bye."

The front door closed behind her, and Commander Blacklock strode back
to the fire and gazed at it for some moments.

"Well," he said to himself, "I suppose, looking at things as they ought
to be looked at, Mrs Brown's girl has saved me from making a damned
fool of myself! Now to work: that's my proper stunt."

He threw some sheets of foolscap on the table, took out his pen, and
sat down to his work. For about five minutes he stared at the
foolscap, but the pen never made a movement. Then abruptly he jumped
up and exclaimed--

"Dash it, I must!"

Snatching up an envelope, he thrust it in his pocket, and a moment
later was out of the house.

* * * * *

Miss Holland and her escort were about fifty yards from Mrs Brown's
house when the girl started and looked back.

"There's some one crying on you!" she exclaimed.

Eileen stopped and peered back into the night. It had clouded over and
was very dark. Very vaguely something seemed to loom up in the path
behind them.

"Miss Holland!" cried a voice.

"It's the minister!" said the girl.

"The--who?" exclaimed Eileen; and added hastily, "Oh yes, I know who
you mean."

A tall figure disengaged itself from the surrounding night.

"Sorry to trouble you," said the voice in curiously quick and jerky
accents, "but I've got a note I want this girl to deliver immediately."

He handed her an envelope.

"Hand that in at the first farm on the other side of the Manse," he
commanded, pointing backwards into the darkness. "I'll escort Miss
Holland."

"Which hoose----" began the girl.

"The first you come to!" said the Commander peremptorily. "