a telegram and asked you to come at
once."

"And now I am here?"

Diana began to look roguish. "I just wanted to suggest," she said,
demurely, "whether it wouldn't simplify things all round if Mr. Pym
disinherited Meryl, and divided all the silly money between me and
charities!..."

He could not help smiling, but there was something more than mere
friendship in his eyes as he looked at her. He understood perfectly
that she had strained every nerve to bring him and Meryl together.

"And in the meantime," he commented, "I gather from the newspaper the
knot disentangled itself, and everything is smoothed out."

"Well, I shouldn't exactly say there were no wounded left on the
battlefield!..." with a low laugh.

"I see; and you think it is for me to attend to the wounded?"

"To _one_ of them," with significance; and then suddenly her
unmanageable mouth began to twitch. Carew divined something lay beyond
the remark.

"And what about the other one?"

"Well," with a little air of coyness, "I rather thought of attending
to his hurt myself."

He watched her keenly for a moment, and at last she raised a pair of
laughing eyes to his face.

"The only thing that's worrying me is that I may unintentionally find
myself a heroine."

His low laugh was full of amusement, and his eyes grew kindlier still.

"You are evidently a most resourceful young woman. Have you made up
your mind how you propose to heal him?"

"Yes," with feigned gravity. "I thought on the whole it would simplify
matters if I took Meryl's place at the wedding."

He stared at her with undisguised astonishment. "You mean?..."

"Just exactly what I say. I've taken over the prospective bridegroom,
and incidentally I thought of taking over the wedding presents as
well...." And then she threw her head back and laughed whole-heartedly
at his incredulous face.

"You have given me a great surprise," he said. "I suppose you are in
earnest?"

"Your surprise is nothing to what is coming upon my friends. Just
think of it!... I can hardly think of anything else. I do so love
giving people shocks. Do you remember our first meeting in the ruins,
when I sat quite still and watched you until you looked up?... That
was your shock!... You were frightfully disgusted with me, but I
didn't mind, I'd had my bit of amusement and no one was hurt; any
other silly girl would have coughed or walked away. Goodness!... how
black you looked!..." And again she laughed mirthfull