ill which she could not deny.
She felt as though she were living through an experience and was
curious as to the outcome. With her, curiosity was a challenge.
Withal, for the first time in her life, she was afraid of herself. And
so she found her study of the two young men in front of her wholesome
and antiseptic, as Kipling says.

As the preacher suddenly paused and then demanded in ringing tones what
those of the upper classes intended to do about the situation which he
had been eloquently portraying, a portly old gentleman whose breath
would have proclaimed that he had had a cocktail at the Reading Room
before service, heaved a loud, hopeless sigh. She saw Thornton nudge
Armitage with his shoulder and the replying grin wrinkle Jack's face.
Swiftly her eyes turned sideways to the Prince. He was sitting half
turned in the seat regarding her with worshipping gaze. She thrilled
under the contrast; compared to the men in front of her, Koltsoff was a
mere--yes, a mere monkey. What did he take her for, a school girl?

Filled with her emotions, she impulsively opened a little gold pencil
with which she had been toying and wrote rapidly upon one of the blank
pages of her hymnal, which later she surreptitiously tore out. When
the service was ended and Armitage and Thornton with slight bows of
acknowledgment passed into the aisle, the girl leaned toward the
younger of her two brothers.

"Muck," she said, "be a good chap and give this note to the dark-haired
man who sat next to you. Do it nicely, now, Muck, so no one will see
you. I'll pay you back for it. Hurry."

Muck, who adored his sister, nodded and worked his way through the
departing worshippers until he came up with Armitage. He pushed the
note into the young officer's hand and as Armitage started in surprise
the boy nodded his head knowingly.

"Say nothing," he warned.

So well had the boy carried it through that not even Thornton observed
the incident. Armitage said nothing to enlighten him, but spread the
page open in his hand as though he had taken a memorandum from his
pocket.

It was as follows:

MY DEAR MR. PRIZE FIGHTER--

I was really serious the other day about your applying for the position
of physical instructor. My small brothers were mauled by sailors the
other day and mother is keen for some one who will teach them how to
obtain their revenge some day. You might see mother or her secretary
any morning after eleven. I have spoke