who, with the strong advantage of youth, must in
the end prevail. But when O'Moy, putting his fortunes to the test, had
declared himself and been accepted by Una Butler, there had been an end
to the jealousy, and the old relations of cordial friendship between the
men had been resumed.

O'Moy had conceived that jealousy of his to have been slain. But there
had been times when from its faint, uneasy stirrings he should have
taken warning that it did no more than slumber. Like most warm hearted,
generous, big-natured men, O'Moy was of a singular humility where women
were concerned, and this humility of his would often breathe a doubt
lest in choosing between himself and Tremayne Una might have been guided
by her head rather than her heart, by ambition rather than affection,
and that in taking himself she had taken the man who could give her by
far the more assured and affluent position.

He had crushed down such thoughts as disloyal to his young wife,
as ungrateful and unworthy; and at such times he would fall into
self-contempt for having entertained them. Then Una herself had revived
those doubts three months ago, when she had suggested that Ned Tremayne,
who was then at Torres Vedras with Colonel Fletcher, was the very man to
fill the vacant place of military secretary to the adjutant, if he would
accept it. In the reaction of self-contempt, and in a curious surge
of pride almost as perverse as his humility, O'Moy had adopted her
suggestion, and thereafter--in the past-three months, that is to
say--the unreasonable devil of O'Moy's jealousy had slept, almost
forgotten. Now, by a chance remark whose indiscretion Tremayne could
not realise, since he did not so much as suspect the existence of that
devil, he had suddenly prodded him into wakefulness. That Tremayne
should show himself tender of Lady O'Moy's feelings in a matter in which
O'Moy himself must seem neglectful of them was gall and wormwood to the
adjutant. He dissembled it, however, out of a natural disinclination to
appear in the ridiculous role of the jealous husband.

"That," he said, "is a matter that you may safely leave to me," and his
lips closed tightly upon the words when they were uttered.

"Oh, quite so," said Tremayne, no whit abashed. He persisted
nevertheless. "You know Una's feelings for Dick."

"When I married Una," the adjutant cut in sharply, "I did not marry the
entire Butler family." It hardened him unreasonably against Dick to have
the