e dressing-table.

"Well caught, sir!" cried the man, eulogising his own activity. "There,
never mind, gentlemen; go down and get it over. There ain't anything to
be ashamed of. If I was you, Mr Severn, I should feel proud at having
licked that great big disagreeable chap. I shall be glad to see his
back. He's quite big enough to leave school."

"Ah!" said Glyn with a sigh. "Come on, Singhy; Wrench is right. Let's
get it over; only I want to bathe my face again. It smells of old
Mother Hamton's embro--what did she call it? You may as well go on
first. I won't be long."

"What!" cried Singh, looking aghast at the speaker. "Go down and see
him alone? I won't! He's not my father; he's yours. You may go first,
and I won't come unless I'm obliged."

"Won't you?" said Glyn, laughing softly, and he caught hold of his
companion's wrist and drew it under his arm. "Open the door, Wrenchy,
and make way for the hospital--two wounded men going down.--I say,
Singhy, look as bad as you can. Here, I know: Wrenchy and I will carry
you down in a chair."

Singh opened his mouth quickly and shut it sharply, making his white
teeth close together with a snap. Then knitting his brows and drawing a
deep breath, he held on tightly to his companion, and walked with him in
silence downstairs into the hall. Here the pair stopped short by the
drawing-room door, where Wrench slipped before them and raised his hand
to show them in; but Glyn caught him by the arm.

"Wait a moment," he said, and the three stood there by the mat, forming
a group, listening to the slow, heavy murmur of the Doctor's voice and
the replies given in a loud, sonorous, emphatic tone.

"Now," said Glyn at last.

The door was thrown open, and they entered, to face the Doctor, who was
seated back in an easy-chair with his hands before him and finger-tips
joined; while right in the centre of the hearthrug, his back to the
fireplace and legs striding as if he were across his charger, stood the
tall grey Colonel, swarthy with sunburn and marked by the scar of a
tulwar-cut which had divided his eyebrow and passed diagonally from brow
to cheek.

He was gazing at the Doctor and listening politely to something he was
saying in his soft, smooth voice, but turned his head sharply as the
door was opened, and his ultra-long, heavy grey moustache seemed to
writhe as he fixed the boys with his keen grey eyes in turn.

"Right, Doctor!" he cried, as if he were givi