ly he shook himself.

"And what about Jenny?" he said.

Frank sat perfectly silent and still for an instant. Then he spoke
without heat.

"I'm not quite sure," he said. "Sometimes I'd like to ... well, to make
her a little speech about what she's done, and sometimes I'd like to
crawl to her and kiss her feet--but both those things are when I'm
feeling bad. On the whole, I think--though I'm not sure--that is not my
business any more; in fact, I'm pretty sure it's not. It's part of the
whole campaign and out of my hands. It's no good talking about that any
more. So please don't, Jack."

"One question?"

"Well?"

"Have you written to her or sent her a message?"

"No."

"And I want to say one other thing. I don't think it's against the
bargain."

"Well?"

"Will you take five hundred pounds and go out to the colonies?"

Frank looked up with an amused smile.

"No, I won't--thanks very much.... Am I in such disgrace as all that,
then?"

"You know I don't mean that," said Jack quietly.

"No, old chap. I oughtn't to have said that. I'm sorry."

Jack waved a hand.

"I thought perhaps you'd loathe England, and would like--And you don't
seem absolutely bursting with pride, you know."

"Honestly, I don't think I am," said Frank. "But England suits me very
well--and there are the other two, you know. But I'll tell you one thing
you could do for me."

"Yes?"

"Pay those extra bills. I don't think they're much."

"That's all right," said Jack. "And you really mean to go on with it
all?"

"Why, yes."

(V)

The moors had been pretty well shot over already since the twelfth of
August, but the two had a very pleasant day, for all that, a couple of
days later. They went but with a keeper and half a dozen beaters--Frank
in an old homespun suit of Jack's, and his own powerful boots, and made
a very tolerable bag. There was one dramatic moment, Jack told me, when
they found that luncheon had been laid at a high point on the hills from
which the great gray mass of Merefield and the shimmer of the lake in
front of the house were plainly visible only eight miles away. The flag
was flying, too, from the flagstaff on the old keep, showing, according
to ancient custom, that Lord Talgarth was at home. Frank looked at it a
minute or two with genial interest, and Jack wondered whether he had
noticed, as he himself had, that even the Rectory roof could be made
out, just by the church tower at the foot of the hill.