luded, in a tone half question, half command.

"No, sir. I may as well do all I can while I'm up there."

Whereat Sir Henry had eyed him thoughtfully from between narrowed lids.
For all his great brain, he was a man of one idea: and that idea--"The
North safeguarded." Mere men, himself included, were for him no more
than pawns in the great game to be played out between two Empires, on
the chess-board of Central Asia. But . . there are pawns, and pawns:
and Sir Henry had had his eye on Lenox for some years; recognising in
him a pawn of high value; a man to be sent to the front on the first
opportunity, and kept there as long as might be. The news of his
marriage had been a shock to the Foreign Secretary: and it is
conceivable that he had wished to test Lenox by asking him to undertake
such a mission within a year of the fatal event. He was speculating
now, as he watched him, how far the 'woman complication' was likely to
count with this impenetrable Scot. With Sir Henry, after the first
year or two, the woman had not counted at all; and, unhappily for her,
she knew it.

The pause lasted so long that Lenox shifted his position: but Sir Henry
only said, "I was relieved when I got your wire."

"Surely I could not have answered otherwise?"

"I am glad you think so. But frankly, when I heard of your marriage, I
was half afraid I had lost one of my ablest men."

Lenox smiled. "Not quite as bad as that, sir, I hope."

"Well then . . what about Gilgit?"

Sir Henry spoke carelessly; but his eyes were on Lenox's face, and he
saw him flinch.

"Is that likely to be an immediate contingency?" Lenox asked quietly.

"Next, year, I should say, as things are going now."

"Well, I hope it may be possible. But . . one would have to think it
over."

"_Talk_ it over, you mean . . eh?"

Something in the tone angered Lenox.

"Yes, sir . . talk it over. That is what I meant," he had answered,
looking straightly at the other: and they had returned somewhat
abruptly to the matter in hand.

But Lenox had dined with the Foreign Secretary that night, and they had
parted good friends, as ever: Sir Henry begging the younger man to ask
him for anything that might serve to lessen the hardships and dangers
ahead of him, adding, as they shook hands: "I assure you, my dear
fellow, we who sit in Simla fully realise how much the country owes to
men of your sort; and grudge no money spent in making the way smoother
for you."

Bu