It will do you good."

Pat struck the match and sucked luxuriously. There was no need to make
conversation to Glynn. He was a comfortable fellow who always
understood. It was good to see him sitting there, to look at his fine,
grave face, and realise that boredom was over, and the happiest hour of
the day begun.

"I say, Glynn, I _made_ you, come! Mesmerised you. It drives a fellow
crazy to be done by a couple of inches. They say if you concentrate
your thoughts--"

"I arranged this morning to call at five o'clock. I should say by the
look of things you had concentrated on biscuits. ... Where's that old
woman?" Glynn inquired.

"Shopping. Always is. And never buys anything by the taste of the
food. You should have seen my lunch! I'll be a living skeleton at this
rate."

Pat spoke laughingly, but the hearer frowned, and looked quickly at the
sharpened face, on which weeks of solitary confinement had left their
mark.

"Why don't you round into her?"

"Daren't! Might make off and leave me in the lurch. They do, you know.
Fellows have told me. Any one is better than no one at all when you
are minus a leg."

"And about that letter? The time limit runs out to-morrow. You know
what I threatened?"

Pat shrugged impatiently.

"You and your threats! What's the sense in worrying when it's got to
_end_ in worrying, and can do no good? I've told you till I'm tired--
the Hilliards are abroad, Dick Victor is down with rheumatism, and
Bridgie makes sure he's going to die every time his finger aches. She'd
leave him if I died first, I suppose, but I wouldn't make too sure even
of that. 'Twould have finished her altogether to know that I was lying
here all these weeks. However!" Pat shrugged again, "you've got your
way, bad luck to you! Bridgie wrote to ask me to run down over a
Sunday, to cheer Victor, so there was nothing for it but to own up.
She'll write me reams of advice and send embrocations. Serve you jolly
well right if I rubbed them on _you_ instead!"

"Fire away, I don't mind! Your muscles would be the better for a little
exercise."

Stephen Glynn leaned back in his chair and looked affectionately at
Pat's dark, handsome face.

Twelve months before the two men had been introduced at a dinner
following a big cricket match in which Pat had distinguished himself by
a fine innings.

Stephen Glynn from his seat on the grand stand had applauded with the
rest of the great audience, and