h, well, my life as you know, was otherwise filled up," said Sir
William, with a sigh; "but in that case the Imperialists perhaps might
not have found everything such plain sailing." And so much had he
penetrated himself with the conviction of what he was saying, that he
felt himself, as he sat there opposite Rendel, whose wisdom and sagacity
in reality so far exceeded his own, to be in the position of the older,
wiser man of great influence and many opportunities condescending to
explain his own career to an obscure novice.

Rendel looked across at Rachel sitting opposite to him, listening to
what her father said with her customary air of sweet and gentle
deference, and then smiling at himself; and again he inwardly vowed
that, for her sake, he would endure the daily pinpricks that are almost
as difficult to bear in the end as one good sword-thrust.

"I must say it will be interesting to see who goes out as Governor of
British Zambesiland," he said presently, looking up from the paper.
"That will be a big job if you like."

"Let's hope they will find a big man to do it," said Sir William.

"I heard to-day," said Rendel, "that it would probably be Belmont."

"Well, he'll be a firebrand Governor after Stamfordham's own heart,"
said Gore. "It's absurd sending all these young men out to these
important posts."

"That is rather Stamfordham's theory," said Rendel--"to have youngish
men, I mean."

"If he would confine himself to theories," said Sir William, "it would
be better for England at this moment."

"It might, however, interfere with his practical use as a Foreign
Secretary," Rendel was about to say, but he checked the words on his
tongue.

After dinner that evening he remained downstairs under pretext of
writing some letters, while Rachel proposed to her father to give her a
lesson in chess.

Rendel turned on the electric light in his study, shut the door, stood
in front of the fire and looked round him with a delightful sense of
possession, of privacy, of well-being. His new house--indeed, one might
almost have said his new life--was still so recent a possession as to
have lost none of its preciousness. He still felt a childish joy in all
its details. The house was one of those built within the last decade
which seem to have made a struggle to escape the uniformity of the older
streets. The front door opened into a square hall, from the left side of
which opened the dining-room, from the right the study,