nd nothing to do with treason, or
anything of that kind. He has got hold of a horrible story--told me all
about it when he was foully drunk--that in itself would have made me
break with him, for I loathe drunken men--and gloats over the fact that
he is holding it over somebody's head. Oh, a ghastly story!"

I bent my brows on him. "Anything to do with South Africa?"

"South Africa--? No. Why?"

The puzzled look on his face showed that I was entirely on the wrong
track. I was disappointed at the faultiness of my acumen. You see, I
argued thus: Gedge goes off on a mysterious jaunt with Boyce. Boyce
retreats precipitately to London. Gedge in his cups tells a horrible
scandal with a suggestion of blackmail to Randall Holmes. What else
could he have divulged save the Vilboek Farm affair? My nimble wit had
led me a Jack o' Lantern dance to nowhere.

"Why South Africa?" he repeated.

I replied with Macchiavellian astuteness, so as to put him on a false
scent: "A stupid slander about illicit diamond buying in connection
with a man, now dead, who used to live here some years ago."

"Oh, no," said Randall, with a superior smile "Nothing of that sort."

"Well, what is it?" I asked.

He helped himself to another cigarette. "That," said he, "I can't tell
you. In the first place I gave my word of honour as to secrecy before
he told me, and, in the next, even if I hadn't given my word, I would
not be a party to such a slander by repeating it to any living man." He
bent forward and looked me straight in the eyes. "Even to you, Major,
who have been a second father to me."

"A man," said I, "has a priceless possession that he should always
keep--his own counsel."

"I've only told you as much as I have done," said Randall, "because I
want to make clear to you my position with regard both to Phyllis and
her father."

"May I ask," said I, "what is Phyllis's attitude towards her father?" I
knew well enough from Betty; but I wanted to see how much Randall knew
about it.

"She is so much out of sympathy with his opinions that she has gone to
live at the hospital."

"Perhaps she thinks you share those opinions, and for that reason won't
marry you?"

"That may have something to do with it, although I have done my best to
convince her that I hold diametrically opposite views, But you can't
expect a woman to reason."

"The unexpected sometimes happens," I remarked. "And then comes
catastrophe; in this case not to the woman." I